Reports came in to police on Wednesday afternoon that a man with a gun was travelling about the downtown. A large contingent of Mounties responded.
According to a public informant, a male with a visible firearm was seen first in the area of 1st Avenue and Victoria Street, then the suspect carried on to the area of 3rd Avenue and Cassiar Street. This vicinity was the focus of police attention.
"It started out as a traffic complaint, a couple who noticed an erratic vehicle," said Prince George RCMP spokesman Const. Gary Godwin. "Apparently the erratic vehicle pulled over, the driver got out and yelled at the couple and they thought they saw a pistol sticking out of the suspect's pants."
The call was placed to police and Godwin said "it was the proper thing to do" upon further investigation.
"We found the suspect, yes, and we confirmed that they saw what would appear to be a pistol, but in fact it was a belt buckle - a rather large belt buckle in that shape," he said.
No charges are pending, but the suspect was spoken to by authorities about the incident and the couple was given kudos for their observations and actions.
"We flooded the area with police officers," he said. "We take these calls very seriously. We are glad to get them. If you think you see something like that, don't hesitate to call, it is our job to make sure these things are dealt with and we can't do that if we don't get the calls so we are thankful for this information we received today."
