An 18-year-old man made an appearance in Sechelt Provincial Court Thursday after an incident at Chatelech Secondary on Jan. 15.
Sunshine Coast RCMP said around 12:30 p.m. they got a call about a male suspect pointing a firearm at a group of students on their lunch break from Chatelech.
The students were at the skate park, which is on the school grounds, when the man drove past the group and got into a heated verbal exchange with them.
He stopped his vehicle, backed up toward the group and pointed a firearm.
The suspect then drove off in a dark-coloured sedan towards downtown Sechelt.
RCMP say he was arrested later at an address in Sechelt. The search of a vehicle turned up the suspected firearm, which was confirmed to be a pellet gun.
The male was taken into custody pending his Wednesday court appearance. RCMP said the suspect was not a student of the school.
They also confirmed the school was not put under a lockdown, although administrators did initiate safety protocols as called for in School District No. 46 policy.
“I’m very proud of our students, who knew to come and report this incident to the school staff,” superintendent of schools Patrick Bocking said Thursday.
“And I’m very proud of the way our staff handled this very unusual situation.”
