Gun-toting man arrested on Simcoe trail

Gun toting man arrested on Simcoe trail

Police in Norfolk County are crediting a sharp-eyed cyclist with getting a gun off the streets.

According to acting Sgt. Ed Sanchuk of the OPP, a cyclist was pedaling along the Lynn Valley Trail near Victoria Street in Simcoe just after 2 pm on Thursday when they spotted someone on the trail with a firearm.

The cyclist called police and officers converged on the area, arresting the suspect “without incident,” Sanchuk said in a video on social media.

Officers from the OPP canine unit and emergency response team aided in the arrest.

Police charged a 38-year-old from Hamilton with possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose and three counts of failing to comply with a probation order.

Sanchuk thanked the cyclist for quickly contacting police.

“As a direct result of their phone call, officers were able to get to that area and take this individual into custody,” he said.

JP Antonacci is a local journalism initiative reporter based at the Hamilton Spectator. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the federal government.

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