Handgun report prompts large police presence in downtown Guelph

A 35-year-old man was arrested at gunpoint Thursday in downtown Guelph.

Around 10:30 a.m., a caller told police a man flashed a gun while looking at him inside his place of work.

"[He] made eye contact and had in his hand on what appeared to be a firearm," said Scott Tracey, the media relations coordinator for Guelph police.

The caller also recognized the man from a previous altercation.

Officers arrived minutes later and located the man walking on Wyndham Street North.

What happened next was caught on camera by a passerby and later shared online.

Believing the man may be armed with a weapon, he was ordered to get on the ground at gunpoint.

Multiple officers and police cars surrounded the scene and the man was arrested without incident.

Police said a black and silver imitation gun was recovered.

"One of the most serious things that officers deal with, of course, is people armed with firearms," said Tracey. "When they receive a report of someone who possibly has a firearm, until they know otherwise, they have to treat it as if it is a real firearm and the intentions of the person with it are unknown, so it did elicit a large reponse. As the video that has become public [shows], officers can be seen with their own weapons drawn and that's to ensure their safety because they don't know if the firearm is real and, if so, what [the person] intends to do with it."

Police add that they found two Canadian passports on the man that they are believed to be stolen. He was also wanted by another police service outside of Guelph.

The 35-year-old man has been charged with assault with a weapon, possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose, and possessing stolen identity documents.