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One in custody after loaded rifle found in vehicle

A man faces several charges after RCMP said they found a loaded semi-automatic rifle fitted with an overcapacity magazine in the back of his vehicle.
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A man faces several charges after RCMP said they found a loaded semi-automatic rifle fitted with an overcapacity magazine in the back of his vehicle.
Police converged on Clayton Angus Middlemiss, 29, late-afternoon Tuesday as he made his way through a restaurant drive-thru near 20th Avenue and Victoria Street. RCMP had been keeping an eye out for him after he sped away when police attempted to pull him over for a driving violation 12 days before.
Inside the vehicle, they found a loaded SKS rifle equipped with an overcapacity magazine. It was hidden underneath a jacket in the back seat and within Middlemiss’s reach, RCMP said.
A second overcapacity magazine was also found, as was a fixed-blade hunting knife close to the driver’s seat and quantities of methamphetamine and marijuana, according to police.
The SKS, a Soviet-era semi-automatic military rifle that preceded the Soviet AK-47, is not restricted in Canada but has been a source of controversy.
In 2014, the RCMP issued a safety warning saying a SKS was found to have fired as a fully automatic weapon. They also said it was prone to shock discharge and had an incomplete safety switch mechanism.
Magazines for the SKS and other rifles like it are limited to five rounds in Canada.
Police did not say how many rounds the magazines found in Middlemiss’ vehicle could hold.
Middlemiss is also prohibited from driving. He was issued three-year prohibitions in May and June 2015 for dangerous driving, committed in Prince George and Kelowna respectively.
In all, 16 weapons and drug-related charges have been approved against Middlemiss from the arrest on Tuesday. He also faces five driving-related charges from a November 21, 2017 incident in Prince George.
Middlemiss remains in custody.