Two arrested after pointing Airsoft gun at cars outside J.C. Penney

Three people who were allegedly pointing an Airsoft gun at cars prompted the temporary lockdown of an east Vancouver department store Friday.

The call was reported around 12:40 p.m. at the J.C. Penney at 19005 S.E. Mill Plain Blvd.

Police responded after someone called 911 to report a group of people with a weapon in a car, said Vancouver police Cmdr. Dave King.

The store was placed in lockdown. Police arrived and found the Airsoft gun was placed in a trash can and three suspects were attempting to blend into the crowd, King said.

The group had purchased the gun less than an hour before the incident and removed the orange tip that identified the gun as a toy, King said.

Two of the three people, a 27-year-old man and 21-year-old woman, were arrested on outstanding warrants. The third suspect, a 42 year-old male, also had an outstanding warrant but was not arrested because it was non-extraditable, King said.

Police are attempting to see if the gun was pointed at any individuals to support potential brandishing charges.

“It’s not against the law to possess an Airsoft weapon,” King said. It is against the law to point anything at someone that appears like a weapon and causes alarm, he said.