A cosplayer in Toronto was handcuffed and detained after walking through a park for a cosplay event with a replica rifle.
Toronto was hosting its first Anime Connects Cherry Blossom Picnic at Trinity-Bellwoods Park on May 3, with many cosplayers showing up for the event.
Things got out of hand quickly, however, when a man dressed as a mercenary from the S.T.A.L.K.E.R series showed up in full tactical gear and a replica rifle.
Footage quickly went viral, with numerous police showing up and their sirens blaring after receiving calls that someone was roaming the area with a firearm.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R cosplayer sparks panic in Toronto park
Video shared by journalist Caryma Sa’d and others showed the police approaching the cosplayer, who quickly surrendered and cooperated.
After being told to get on his knees, the cops took the man to the ground, handcuffed him, and escorted him to a police cruiser.
According to people in the park, the cosplayer had been warned not to carry a replica rifle, but ignored their concerns. Still, many voiced displeasure with the overwhelming police presence.
“Poor guy,” one said. “This is insane. All for a friggin’ costume.”
Luckily, the authorities were understanding and the man was released without charges, even shaking hands with the police sergeant in the aftermath.
Speaking to the Toronto Sun, the cosplayer said, “I have been cosplaying in Toronto with similar setups for five years with absolutely no issues, so you can see why I felt comfortable coming out to the event. I’ve even gone to similar events in that exact park in the past.”
“There were other cosplayers with life-like weapons and equipment too, so it is not out of the ordinary, and there were some present that day aside from myself.”
The cosplayer further noted that while he typically has bright orange tape on his weapons, he momentarily took it off for a picture, and that’s when the police arrived.
Cosplays have caused major police reactions before. Last August, a 16-year-old Resident Evil cosplayer in the UK was taken in by police after being mistaken for a criminal due to carrying an imitation firearm.
Across the globe in Australia, officers in Melbourne rushed to a shopping center after reports of a knife-wielding man turned out to be a Demon Slayer fan in cosplay.
