Image: Mike Ervin, permission granted by Mike Ervin / RCMP cruisers can be seen near the entrance to Skwah First Nation close to Ashwell and Wellington Sunday afternoon. RCMP officers have responded to some kind of incident there, and there are also RCMP officers on Wolfe Road, some possibly with their rifles drawn. This information has not been confirmed with the RCMP. An email has been sent to the Chilliwack RCMP Sunday afternoon.

By Mike Vanden Bosch

Another police incident in Chilliwack

Heavy police presence near Skwah First Nation in Chilliwack Sunday

May 7, 2023 | 3:50 PM

**Chilliwack RCMP said Tuesday (May 9) that a man who was carrying what appeared to be a rifle not far from Skwah First Nation Sunday afternoon was taken into custody and later released. Police attended Sunday after 2:30 p.m. and set up a containment, The man was located and taken into police custody. A long-barreled BB or pellet gun, which resembled a rifle, was seized by police. Police spoke to the male suspect about the dangers of his actions and he was later released without charge.**

Original story below:

CHILLIWACK — There is a heavy police presence near the entrance to Skwah First Nation, close to Ashwell Road and Wellington Avenue, as Chilliwack RCMP officers gather in large numbers on the north side of town.

According to a picture on social media from Mike Ervin, there were at least five RCMP cruisers stationed near the entrance to Skwah First Nation in Chilliwack at around 3:25 p.m. Sunday afternoon.

The entrance to Skwah First Nation at Ashwell and Wellington has been blocked off by the RCMP.

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Two Facebook users have said in the past hour that RCMP officers have their rifles drawn, including one person who said RCMP were on Wolfe Road. Another person said RCMP had guns drawn near Ashwell and Spadina.

An email has been sent to the Chilliwack RCMP seeking comment.

As of 4:36 p.m. Sunday, RCMP officers had left the area at Ashwell and Wellington. Similarly, there were no officers on Wolfe Road either.

The police incident is the second one this week. Earlier this week on Wednesday (May 3), a man was hospitalized after an alleged assault at a residence in Chilliwack. Chilliwack RCMP were dispatched to the area of Broadway and Yale Road at about 1:45 p.m. Wednesday after receiving a report of a weapons-related incident inside a home. On arrival, police discovered a man had been suffering from significant injuries.

RCMP officers provided emergency first aid before the man was transported to hospital by B.C. Emergency Health Services. Police received information that that there were other people and weapons inside the residence where the incident allegedly occurred.

The Lower Mainland Integrated Emergency Response Team was deployed to Chilliwack where it safely cleared the residence of all remaining people. They discovered a number of firearms and a possible explosive device at the home.

As a precautionary measure, homes in the immediate vicinity were evacuated. The Explosive Disposal Unit was called in to safely remove the device, however, upon further examination it was not determined to be an explosive, Sgt. Vrolyk said.