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Man charged for having gun on him at Abbotsford Regional Hospital

Citizen alerted security after seeing the man drop ammunition on the floor
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Officers seized a gun Monday (March 13) from a man who was in the waiting room at Abbotsford Regional Hospital. (Abbotsford Police Department photo)

A man with a gun was arrested Monday night (March 13) at Abbotsford Regional Hospital (ARH).

Sgt. Paul Walker, media relations officer with the Abbotsford Police Department (APD), said police responded around 11 p.m. to the emergency department after receiving a report that a man in the waiting room was believed to have a gun.

Walker said a citizen, also in the waiting room, alerted hospital security after seeing the man drop a round of ammunition on the floor.

Security contacted police and provided updates to arriving officers, who took the man into custody without incident. Officers searched the man and found a gun, Walker said.

ALSO SEE: Police seize numerous firearms and drugs from 6 B.C. homes

Jonathan Terrance MacDonald, 50, of Abbotsford has now been charged with two counts each of possessing a firearm without a licence and possessing a firearm contrary to an order.

Walker said the APD has a close working relationship with ARH staff, “through a multi-layered approach to mitigate risks and ensure public safety for all those attending the hospital.”

According to the provincial court database, MacDonald has a prior conviction for possession of a firearm without a licence and was given a lifetime weapons ban in 2017.

He also has other convictions for theft, possession for the purpose of trafficking and breaching his probation.

ALSO SEE: Woman charged with firing pellet gun at unmarked police car in Abbotsford



vikki.hopes@abbynews.com

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Vikki Hopes

About the Author: Vikki Hopes

I have been a journalist for almost 40 years, and have been at the Abbotsford News since 1991.
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