Yarmouth man facing charges after putting toddler in car trunk

A Yarmouth, N.S., man is facing chargesafter putting a toddler in the trunk of a vehicle while he went into a strip mall on Saturday.

The person who reported the incident is now facing firearms charges.

RCMP said at 10:40a.m. Saturday, a witness saw the 33-year-oldman place the child into the trunk of a vehicle. The child was then left alone in the trunk while the man went inside a store. The man came out a short time later and removed the child from the trunk, placing her in the backseat.

The witness, a 19-year-old Yarmouth man,called police and then confronted the man with a firearmin an attempt to keep the man from leaving with the child.

"The driver did leave with the child in the car. We did manage to track the adult and the child down. The child is now safe," said Cpl. Jennifer Clarke with theNova Scotia RCMP.

Police said the interaction was caught on surveillance video.

Police arrested the witnessfor firearms offences including possession of a weapon for dangerous purposes and using a firearm in the commission of an offence.

"We understand that people are going to have concerns about the action of putting the child in the car in the first place or in the trunk, but that doesn't mean it's OK to carry a firearm around in your trunk and use that to try to coerce people to do something," Clarke said.

Police later located the man and child in Yarmouth County. The man wasarrested and taken to Yarmouth RCMP.

RCMP said the man and the child are known to each other and the child was in the man's care at the time of the incident.

The man is facing charges of abandonment and forcible confinement.

Both men were released under conditions but could face additional charges.

They are both expected to appear in Yarmouth provincial court on Dec. 7. Police are still investigating the incident.