13-year-old shoplifter had replica gun strapped to his leg, Vancouver police say

The Holt Renfrew store at Dunsmuir and Granville streets in downtown Vancouver is seen on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026. (CTV News)

Police in Vancouver say they arrested a 13-year-old boy for allegedly stealing a $1,200 jacket from a luxury retailer in the city’s downtown Tuesday.

Officers were called to the store near Granville and Dunsmuir streets around 6:15 p.m. after receiving “reports that security had a suspect pinned to the ground with a gun strapped to his leg,” the Vancouver Police Department said in a news release Wednesday.

In an email to CTV News, the VPD confirmed the store where the incident took place was Holt Renfrew.

When police arrived, they found the suspect was just 13 years old, and the firearm was a replica.

The teen, a Surrey resident, was “released into the custody of a parent,” and the investigation is ongoing, police said.