Man pointing blow gun underneath Deerfoot Trail prompts 'high risk' arrest

A man pointing what a passerby thought was a long gun but turned out to be a blow gun under an overpass on Deerfoot Trail has been charged after police arrested him in what officers treated as a high-risk operation.

Police approached the area around the east side of the 34th Avenue S.E. overpass on Sunday around 1 p.m to find a man with a long gun aiming at something nearby.

The police considered the call a high-risk situation andcalled in a HAWCS police helicopter for assistance.

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The suspect didn't notice police approaching, loaded the weapon into a rifle case and began walking up the hill on the east side of Deerfoot Trail. Officers intercepted him without incident.

The metre-long weapon turned out to be a blow gun, a prohibited weapon that shoots projectiles, such as darts, using one's breath. The copper barrel, wooden handle and plastic stalk were covered with black tape.

Police believe he was doing target practice. They foundseveral cans under the overpass with two-centimetre holes.

A Calgary man has been charged with one count of possession of a weapon or imitation fora dangerous purpose.