Suspicious activity near the Sechelt McDonald's restaurant last Sunday (April 13) led police to the discovery of a retractable baton being concealed by a Sechelt youth.
Sunshine Coast RCMP are requesting the Crown lay charges of possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose. After observing what appeared to be a drug deal, RCMP members trailed the 15-year-old suspect, who was on foot, in their police cruiser, and stopped him on Xenichen Avenue.
Police found that the suspect was packing a 10-inch retractable baton - a standard-issue police weapon that telescopes outward when swung. Though the baton itself is not a prohibited weapon, Cpl. Bryson Hill said it raises a red flag when someone carries it around in public.
"We as police believe the circumstance of a collapsible baton in someone's pocket leaves no other purpose than for potentially violent use," he said. The youth is known to police.