Four teens arrested after airsoft pistol causes panic at Lethbridge mall

Four boys aged 13 to 15 were charged after one brandished an airsoft pistol at Park Place Mall in Lethbridge, triggering 911 calls and mass panic.

Airsoft pistol sparks mass panic at Park Place Mall, four youth charged

Four teenage boys between the ages of 13 and 15 have been charged following an incident at Park Place Mall in Lethbridge, Alberta, after one of them produced what witnesses believed to be a real firearm. Global News Crime reports that police received multiple 911 calls just after 5:30 p.m. last Friday, as shoppers scrambled for cover — hiding under tables, shielding children, and fleeing the building.

Officers from the Lethbridge Police Service (LPS) arrived on scene in under a minute and a half and made an initial arrest. By the end of the evening, all four boys had been taken into custody.

According to police, the incident began when two separate pairs of teenagers moved through the mall before converging at the food court. One pair began pursuing the other, and following a brief foot chase, a boy in the second group produced the weapon. Witnesses reported hearing a clicking sound from it, intensifying the panic.

Police later determined the weapon was an airsoft pistol — not a real firearm. A knife and a baton were also seized from a separate youth involved in the incident.

"Any time we deal with an offender with replica or presented-real firearms, the charges that go along with that are real," said Sgt. Ryan Darroch of the LPS downtown police unit.

Darroch warned that the situation could have escalated far more dangerously, given how closely the airsoft pistol resembled an actual handgun — even at close range.

"This is another example of replica firearms being involved in a public space that is going to lead to an officer-involved shooting," he said. "We do not want to get to that place."

He noted that officers confronted with replica weapons must make split-second judgments about whether the threat is real. "Our brothers and sisters in the Calgary Police Service and Edmonton Police Service have been involved in those events with a replica firearm. That hasn't happened in Lethbridge and we don't want it to happen."

Darroch directed an appeal to parents and guardians: "We'd strongly request that those parents, caregivers, people supporting our youth — if you see a youth with one of those handguns, remove it from them." He added that police can assist with the disposal of such items and encouraged people to call the service if needed.

Although no injuries were reported at the time of the arrests, investigators reviewing CCTV footage later noticed a woman appearing to clutch her arm, suggesting she may have been struck by a BB pellet from the airsoft gun. Police have not yet located her and are asking her — and any other witnesses or those with cellphone footage — to come forward.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Lethbridge Police at 403-328-4444, referencing file 26017199.

Source: Global News Crime