A man seen waving around a machete in downtown Nanaimo yesterday has been arrested and is in custody.
Reserve Const. Gary O’Brien, Nanaimo RCMP spokesperson, said the man was walking down Front Street at around 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 20, “causing a ruckus.”
“It caught the attention of our members,” said O’Brien. “Because of the fact that he seemed quite erratic and was waving the machete around, they pulled their firearms out … and arrested him without incident.”
The man is also alleged to have kicked over a mailbox, yelling and screaming, and is in custody, facing charges of mischief as well as possessing a weapon “dangerous to the public peace,” said O’Brien.
The man was of no fixed address and had an outstanding warrant.
The incident was unrelated to anti-sexual orientation and gender identity education protests and counter-protests held in the downtown area earlier that day, police said.
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