Man carrying loaded handgun arrested at Vancouver SkyTrain station, police say

A Metro Vancouver Transit Police officer is seen outside Main Street–Science World station in this file photo from the force. (MVTP)

A 42-year-old man has been charged with several offences after officers discovered him in possession of a loaded handgun at a busy SkyTrain station over the weekend, Metro Vancouver Transit Police say.

Michael James Smith, who police described as having “no fixed address,” was arrested shortly after 2 p.m. Sunday as MVTP officers were checking fares at Main Street–Science World Station.

After asking Smith to produce proof of payment, officers discovered “multiple outstanding warrants” for his arrest, along with “a loaded Glock 23 handgun, ammunition and what were believed to be controlled substances,” police said in a news release Tuesday.

Police said Smith remains in custody pending his next court appearance.

Online court records indicate that he is scheduled to appear in Vancouver provincial court on Thursday.

Records show Smith faces charges, including assault with a weapon and three counts of breaching a release order, all of which stem from incidents that occurred in Delta in late January and February.

The Delta charges are marked as a “K” file, a designation used by courts to identify cases involving alleged intimate partner violence.

Smith also faces one count of breaching a probation order associated with the K file, but with Sunday listed as the offence date and Vancouver as the location.

He has also been charged with possession of a prohibited or restricted firearm, carrying a concealed weapon, possession of a firearm contrary to an order and another count of breaching a release order in connection to Sunday’s incident.

In the MVTP release, Sgt. Dustin Szakacs noted that “routine, everyday activities” like fare enforcement “can create an opportunity to remove and hold accountable anyone who poses a threat to the feeling of safety of the travelling public.”