Photos of the bow and arrow, as well as the syringe attached to it, allegedly used to threaten officers near Port Place Shopping Centre on Monday, March 13. (Nanaimo RCMP)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

foot chase

Man wielding syringe-loaded bow and arrow arrested at Port Place parking lot

Mar 17, 2023 | 9:38 AM

NANAIMO — A man well known to police remains in custody following an altercation with officers in the downtown.

RCMP were called to Port Place Shopping Centre around 7 p.m. on Monday, March 13 after reports of a man walking in the area with a bow and arrow, which Reserve Cst. Gary O’Brien said was “causing concern in a public place.”

O’Brien added police quickly arrived and located the man.

“It was apparent he had a toy bow and arrow, but as they got closer they realized it looked like there was a hypodermic needle attached to the end of it, that was very troubling.”

The man allegedly pointed the bow and arrow at responding officers before taking off on foot, triggering a chase from police.

On the Rise

VI Raiders end BCFC season on a winning note

13h ago

Nixon Stands Tall

First star performance from Chazz Nixon leads Clippers to 4-1 win at Cowichan

20h ago

cost of living

Nanaimo monthly rents see slight drop, but year-over-year increases remain high

Oct 11, 2024

“After a struggle he was taken into custody. We found the arrow, it had a substance in it, we don’t know yet what it is.”

Thirty-seven year old Adam Cajander, of no fixed address in Nanaimo, was taken into custody and faces a number of charges including assaulting a police officer, possession of a weapon dangerous to the public peace, uttering threats and resisting arrest.

He remains in custody ahead of a March 28 court appearance.

O’Brien told NanaimoNewsNOW the weapon used in the incident is concerning and can draw a similar response to other weapons like knives or a firearm.

“The jeopardy is certainly significant on that. Whether or not we treat it as a firearm or not, we certainly look at it as something that could cause significant harm to us.”

Cajander has an extensive criminal history dating back to 2015 with charges including break and enter, theft, mischief, breach of undertaking and being in a dwelling without lawful excuse.

Join the conversation. Submit your letter to NanaimoNewsNOW and be included on The Water Cooler, our letters to the editor feature.

info@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @NanaimoNewsNOW