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Teen arrested for possession of a firearm in public in Prince George, B.C.

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The RCMP logo is seen outside the force's 'E' division headquarters in Surrey, B.C., on Thursday, March 16, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

A teenager allegedly carrying a firearm in a parking lot in Prince George, B.C., has been arrested, say Mounties.

According to a statement from Prince George RCMP, officers received a report of a 17-year-old in possession of a firearm in a parking lot on the 1400 block of Edmonton Street just after 3 p.m. on Monday.

Given the suspect’s proximity to a hospital and the information that was already known about the situation, officers had determined the incident to be one of high risk to public safety, said police in the release issued Tuesday.

Multiple frontline police officers were dispatched to the location and arrested the suspect “without incident” within minutes of the report being made, say police.

“We train for these types of scenarios as part of our initial instruction at the RCMP Training Academy, and also as part of our yearly qualifications,” said Supt. Darin Rappel, adding how frontline officers responded “calmly and swiftly” when resolving the situation.

The teenager will remain in custody until he is due to attend court.

Police say the file remains under investigation.