Two arrested after 'gun' scare

There were some tense moments not just for St. Albert RCMP Saturday at Red Willow Park, but for some families too.

Two men were arrested by RCMP after a report was received about suspicious men creeping around with rifles not far from the ball diamonds which were occupied at the time.

“Thanks to a call from a quick thinking resident, St Albert RCMP have arrested two men and seized two firearms, along with several knives,” stated RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Laurel Kading in a press release.

“At approximately 2:30 p.m., on September 27, 2014, St. Albert RCMP were alerted to look for a man dressed in camouflage carrying a rifle. The suspect was seen walking eastbound on Red Willow trail past the skateboard park and then towards the minor baseball diamonds.

“With the recent Moncton murders of RCMP officers, this incident was handled with extreme caution. Immediately four police cars scoured the area.

“Another resident directed the RCMP to check the wooded area north of the ball diamonds as the man had noticed some suspicious activity there.

“RCMP officers located a ‘fort' in the woods and found two adult suspects there. Besides the four knives and the two firearms, some drug paraphernalia was found. The firearms that were seized have been found to be very realistic looking rifles, but one is a pellet gun and the other is an air soft rifle.” Incidents like this have happened before in St. Albert, and police have pointed out that it's concerning to have realistic looking toys, bb guns or air soft guns involved, as they can be mistaken for real firearms.

“The two men, one age 18 and the other, age 20, both residents of St. Albert, have been arrested for possession of weapons dangerous to the public and charges are pending,” stated Kading.

“The arrests were made without incident and without disrupting the youth ball games. The minor league ball diamonds were busy with games between 11 to 14 year old players, watched by their fans. The skateboard park was also busy with youth while this incident happened. No one was hurt in this matter.

This investigation is in its very initial stages. The names of the arrested individuals will not be released at this time as charges have not been sworn.”