Image: Mission RCMP /

By Mike Vanden Bosch

Police investigation

RCMP seize pellet guns from youth near Mission fair, arrest 16-year-old male

Mar 24, 2025 | 7:49 AM

MISSION — Less than 48 hours after a social media post claimed a shootout would occur at a fair operating in a mall parking lot over the weekend, Mounties in Mission seized pellet guns from two groups of youth just a few hours apart on Saturday evening and arrested a 16-year-old male

According to a statement from RCMP spokesperson Corporal Harrison Mohr, Mission RCMP notified the public on Friday, March 21 that they were investigating an online claim about a shootout. Police worked thoroughly and promptly to identify the source of the warning. By Saturday morning, investigators had spoken to the youth who created the post, the youth involved in the alleged brouhaha, and the youth’s parents.

Officers learned that as part of the conflict, one youth had allegedly used a BB gun to shoot at another youth over the past week. The youth involved in the conflict confirmed that he would not be attending the fair. Mission RCMP scheduled additional resources to maintain a presence in the area of the fair throughout the weekend as a precaution, and to help the public feel safe in attending.

On Saturday evening at about 5 p.m., Mission RCMP received a report of a group of youth running around with BB guns in the parking lot around the fair. Police caught up with the group and detained all individuals in the group for investigation. One of the youth, a 16-year-old, was found to be in possession of a BB gun that closely resembled a legitimate handgun, as well as a balaclava. That youth was arrested for possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, and was later released to his parents, with a pending court date.

But the evening was far from over. Just three hours later, police received a report that a group of youth on a transit bus were headed to the fair, and were allegedly possessing bear spray, knives, and a BB gun. Mission RCMP located the bus as it was arriving at the parking lot where the fair was set up, and detained three youth for possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose. One of those youth – a 14-year-old from Mission – was part of the same group that had been detained hours earlier. Officers confirmed he was in possession of another replica BB gun, which was also seized by police. Police note that none of the youth that officers dealt with near the fair on Saturday were the same ones associated to the original comment on social media

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“These groups of youth clearly had no regard for the family-oriented event taking place,” Cpl. Mohr said. “Carrying bear spray and replica handguns under these types of circumstances is unlawful and unsafe, and can lead to an arrest and criminal charges. We encourage the public to immediately call police if they see someone handling any kind of weapon or imitation weapon in a public place, so we can intervene before someone gets hurt.”

Police are encouraging parents to talk with their kids about the inherent risks of carrying bear spray or imitation guns in public.

“While there are times when possessing those items is legal – such as possessing a BB gun in your home, or bear spray in the wilderness, possessing those items in other circumstances – such as when you are in a busy public area – may lead to weapons charges,” Cpl. Mohr said. “It’s also very unsafe, as members of the public or police may not know that it is a BB gun, and police have to treat it as a real firearm until they can confirm otherwise. Bear spray also cannot be carried for the purpose of using it on another person in self-defence.”

Police confirmed there were no reports of any injuries from these incidents. The investigations are still ongoing, and Mission RCMP’s youth liaison officer will be following up in order to try to address or resolve the underlying conflicts that led to the incidents.