A teen was allegedly verbally threatened by two adult men during an airsoft game in Richmond in late December.
Richmond RCMP responded to a call of a possible threat at Richmond Indoor Paintball, on Elmbridge Way near Westminster Highway, shortly after 8:30 p.m. on Dec. 28.
Cpl. Adriana O'Malley, media relations officer at Richmond RCMP, said, according to the mother, the youth was told by one of the men to “meet them outside” following a dispute over the game.
The two men, whose identities remain unknown to police, left the business before Richmond RCMP officers arrived.
“While this interaction did not meet the threshold for a criminal offence, the action of these adults is not acceptable," said O'Malley.
"If they had concerns over the conduct of someone during the course of a game, there are other ways to address it, such as speaking with staff at the business."
Ryan Fitzgerald, owner of Richmond Indoor Paintball, told the Richmond News conflicts can happen in any line of business when "tempers flare and people act inappropriately."
"Our staff are trained in conflict resolution for situations like this, which can occur when people are playing a competitive sport especially," said Fitzgerald.
When conflicts happen at his business, players are immediately removed from the situation and separated into different areas of the building, he added.
"We have a large space, so asking players to separate into areas where they cannot interact is fairly straightforward."
If the conflict escalates to verbal abuse, patrons are asked to leave, and if anyone is threatened with any form of physical violence, police are called, explained Fitzgerald.
Players who start the altercations are removed and permanently banned from the facility.
"I then release their names to all other management and owners of our community, so those players are not only banned from my premises but from all premises that offer our sport in the Lower Mainland," said Fitzgerald.
He highlighted players in the small airsoft community are generally respectful and helpful by stepping in to help resolve in-game conflicts.
"Because things like this are perceived by the public in a negative way, we do all we can do to keep the peace among regular players, and the once-a-year players alike."
The News has reached out to RCMP to clarify whether the ban on the two men at the facility has led to them being subsequently identified but didn't receive a reply before publication.
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