Charges have been laid against a London man accused of threatening a security guard with what turned out to be a replica gun.
The security guard was working at an apartment building at Talbot Street and Dufferin Avenue around 5:45 a.m. on Tuesday when he noticed a man loitering near the highrise. After asking the man to leave, the security guard was threatened. The man also flashed a portion of a gun before leaving the area.
No injuries were reported.
London police arrested a suspect nearby and a replica gun was seized.
A 50-year-old London man is charged with uttering threats of death or bodily harm and possession of a weapon. He will appear in court in relation to the charges on June 21.
Since the start of the year, officers in London have taken more than two dozen replica firearms off the streets.
"Replicas can be just as dangerous as real firearms as those on the receiving end often cannot differentiate toy vs real, resulting in the potential for real tragedy," Police Chief Steve Williams tweeted on Wednesday.
