MEAT COVE, N.S. — RCMP issued an emergency alert Monday afternoon after a Bay St. Lawrence man wanted on several warrants fled into a wooded area carrying a gun in Meat Cove, Inverness County.
“There was a planned arrest (Monday),” said Staff Sgt. Joshua Wiese, district commander for Victoria County.
Perry Daniel MacKinnon, 33, was last seen in a camo jacket and blue track pants.
“He is wanted on warrants in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality and in Victoria County,” Wiese said. “When they went in to serve the warrants, he fled into the woods with a firearm.”
Officers saw MacKinnon enter the woods, issued an alert immediately and cordoned off the area.
“There’s a significant RCMP presence in the area,” he added.
The K-9 unit was on the scene along with an RCMP helicopter.
Cpl. Mark Skinner of the Nova Scotia RCMP said they are asking Meat Cove residents to remain inside their homes and wait for updates from the law enforcement.
“If you see him, do not approach,” he said, reminding the public MacKinnon is armed which is why the alert was issued. “By letting people know what is going on, there certainly is a risk associated with it.”
Late Monday afternoon, RCMP said they will remain on the scene until MacKinnon is apprehended.
Anyone seeing MacKinnon is asked to call 911.
MacKinnon is wanted on two warrants — one issued in Port Hawkesbury provincial court and one issued in Sydney provincial court — both for failing to attend court in August.
MacKinnon was scheduled to stand trial in Sydney on weapon offences. He is charged with unauthorized possession of a firearm, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, being an occupant of a vehicle and knowing a firearm was in the vehicle, careless use of a firearm, weapon and ammunition, possession of a firearm while prohibited, and having knowledge of unauthorized possession of a firearm.
The offences are alleged to have occurred March 29, 2019, on Victoria Road in Sydney.
Meat Cove is a fishing village located on the northern tip of Cape Breton Island, a deeply wooded area sparsely populated with about 12 houses, two lodges and a cabin.
Residents of the area said there was a lot of commotion in the community Monday afternoon.
“There’s still a helicopter flying around and cops still all over looking for him with binoculars,” said a man who did not wish to be identified as he knows MacKinnon. He said he wasn’t afraid of MacKinnon but didn’t want to see him or police officers get hurt.
According to the anonymous source, MacKinnon is not originally from Meat Cove but moved to the community a few years ago.
Sharon Montgomery-Dupe is a Breaking News Reporter with the Cape Breton Post
