If you're going to get your cosplay costume fitted, then it might not be the best idea to wear it on the way to the tailor. That's what one person did in Grand Prairie, Canada, causing concerned citizens to call the cops out of fear of a bomb on his back.
The man walked through Grand Prairie in costume, complete with the full armour and New California Republic flag. Oh, and a bunch of silver-painted Pringles cans attached to his back, which is what police mistook for a bomb. CBC News reports that at least eight RCMP officers responded with long guns in tow. Some of the photos are quite intense—I definitely recommend you go to the CBC website to check them out.
The costumed man made it to the alterations business, at which point an officer called the owner to ask if he could see any wires on the costume. Police then told the business owner to leave through the backdoor, which he did.
Soon after, the RCMP made contact with the cosplayer and were able to determine that he was indeed wearing a costume and posed no threat. After being taken into custody, he was released with no charges. One of CBC News' photos appears to show officers smiling and laughing after the incident—and yes, they have big guns.
RCMP Cpl. Shawn Graham told CBC News that they "have to believe everything is real until proven otherwise."
"In the end you've got a good feeling after going, 'OK, there wasn't a bomb, there was no intent to do anything criminal, it's just someone with their costume,'" he said. And while everything was okay in the end, Graham did note that people should practice a little more caution with their costumes.
"There's a time and a place for it," he said. "Wandering around downtown [is] maybe not the place to do it."
It's hard to disagree with Graham. I can't really imagine why someone would think it's a good idea to look like a post-apocalyptic soldier, especially when walking through a city and holding a dang flag. Either way, I'm glad everyone made it okay safe and sound because, as I'm sure you know, less serious situations have ended with much worse results.
