Four people charged after multiple people ‘shot’ with replica firearm

A York Regional Police cruiser is seen in this file photo. (File)

TORONTO — Four teenagers have been charged after allegedly shooting three people with a replica firearm in Vaughan, Ont.

Emergency crews were called to Rutherford and Weston roads around 12:20 a.m. on Friday after receiving a weapons call for the area.

According to investigators, three people were standing in a parking lot when a white Honda Civic approached them. The occupants of the vehicle then began shooting at the victims, police said.

“All of the victims were shot, but injuries were minor, indicating that the firearm was a replica,” police said in a news release issued Friday afternoon.

The vehicle fled the area but officers were able to locate it about 20 minutes later.

Four people were taken into custody and a replica handgun was seized.

Two 18-year-old men and two 17-year-old men, all residents of Vaughan, have each been charged with assault with a weapon, possession of a weapon and pointing a firearm.

The suspects cannot be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

Police reminded members of the public that when police respond to a call involving weapons, “the weapon will be treated as real until an investigation can determine otherwise.”

They also said that if an air gun is used in the commission of an offence, then it is classified as a firearm.