One suspect is facing charges while another is being sought by police in connection to a weapons call at Barrie's Georgian Mall on Tuesday.
Officers with the Barrie Police Service say they responded to the report at 4:40 p.m.
According to police, the incident started when two males began talking to a male youth who had just exited the mall's southwest end with his e-bike.
"The youth ignored the comments and made his way to a nearby restaurant where he left the e-bike leaning against a wall while he briefly went inside," police stated in a news release on Wednesday.
"As he looked back, he observed one of the males who had spoken to him moments earlier on the bike and immediately went outside to ensure that they didn’t drive off with it. The male got off the e-bike and walked over to where the other male was standing in the parking lot and as the victim approached the two males, one of them lifted his shirt and exposed what appeared to be a firearm."
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Police say more words were said, including a threat and gesture involving the suspected firearm.
Once on scene, officers say one of the suspects was taken into custody.
"The other male fled on foot and through the course of the investigation, has since been identified," officials noted. "Police are presently seeking his whereabouts and he is wanted for robbery."
Officers say they seized a replica firearm that they found in bushes near the restaurant.
A 25-year-old Barrie man was charged with:
- Armed Robbery
- Assault with a Weapon
- Possession of a Weapon for a Dangerous Purpose
- Utter Threats to Cause Death
He has a bail hearing today.
