A 32-year-old man is facing drug and weapons charges after he allegedly pulled out a gun in a busy, fast-food restaurant at a northeast mall on Wednesday evening.
Police were in Marlborough Mall on an unrelated call when they saw people running from the McDonald’s restaurant inside Walmart just after 6:00 p.m.
A Good Samaritan intervened after he saw a man reach into a bag and take out what was thought to be an AR-15 rifle.
Four officers converged on the area and saw a man pinning another man against a wall while they wrestled over the weapon.
Police took the suspect into custody and found a small amount of crack cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin and marijuana on him.
“The actions of the Good Samaritan in this incident are nothing short of heroic. While we don’t encourage people to put themselves in harm’s way, there is no doubt that had this been a real firearm, he would have saved countless lives. This is yet another example of why we are proud to serve Calgarians,” said Acting Inspector Rod Harbridge.
The investigation determined that the weapon involved was a paintball gun.
More than 30 people were in the McDonald’s at the time and police say they were panicked and were pushing and screaming as they fled the scene.
Drug and weapons charges are pending against a 32-year-old man. The man’s name will be released once he has been formally charged.
