Abbotsford, BC – On Saturday, December 5, 2015, Major Crime detectives from the Abbotsford Police Department recovered the handgun that was observed during the disturbance on December 3, 2015, and suspected to have been brought into Robert Bateman Secondary School immediately thereafter. The replica firearm is very realistic in appearance (see photo) and was located hidden inside the school in a public area.
The investigation continues.
On Thursday, December 3 at 12:15 pm, the Abbotsford Police received a 911 call reporting a disturbance in front of a residence in the 34000 block of Immel Street. A male resident at that location indicated that four suspects had arrived on the property and were attempting to engage him in an altercation. It was believed that one of the suspects might have possessed a weapon or firearm. The suspects left the area in the direction of Robert Bateman Secondary School.
The Abbotsford Police Department dispatched numerous resources into the area. Working closely with the School District and school administrators, a decision was quickly made to lock-down area schools until the potential threat had been identified and the suspects had been located. The largest deployment of officers was at Robert Bateman Secondary School where witnesses observed the four suspects enter. All four were identified as 17-year-old males. APD officers searched the school and ultimately located the suspects who were taken into custody without further incident. Lock-downs at other area schools were lifted as a result of locating the suspects. Robert Bateman Secondary remained in lock-down until 3:20 pm to allow police to search for a possible weapon and additional evidence.
The Abbotsford Police are continuing this investigation. The charges being considered at this point are for Weapons and Threats relating to the events that occurred off school property. We would like to thank the students, parents and staff of the affected schools who showed tremendous patience throughout this incident.
