Photo: Contributed

Ellis Street, Tuesday evening

Police in Kelowna responded in force to two back-to-back weapons complaints Tuesday night, but both turned out to be false alarms.

Officers blocked off Ellis Street in front of the Kelowna Public Library between Doyle Avenue and Cawston Avenue Tuesday night just after 7 p.m., after receiving a call about a man with a weapon who was causing a disturbance at the library.

Multiple police cruisers descended on the library and blocked off Ellis Street. Police with their weapons drawn were spotted by witnesses outside the library.

The man was arrested and police determined he was carrying a water gun. After determining there was no threat to the public, Ellis Street was reopened.

"Carrying any sort of replica gun can pose a danger to not only the person carrying it, but the community as well," said Kelowna RCMP spokesperson Ryan Watters. "Police take all reports of a weapon extremely seriously and respond accordingly."

Just after 7:30 p.m., officers again responded to another weapons complaint outside Kelowna General Hospital.

Multiple police cruisers rushed to the scene and closed down Pandosy Street, but Watters says "officers determined it was not as significant as first reported."

Police had cleared the scene and reopened Pandosy just before 8 p.m.

Photo: Nicholas Johansen

Police outside KGH Tuesday evening.