Two people have been charged with firearms offences in St. John’s following an incident downtown St. John’s in late July which began when the RNC flashed the lights on a vehicle on Livingstone Street.

The driver, who jumped out and took off on foot, was later arrested and charged with impaired, while the female passenger was released.

A search of the vehicle yielded a Simonov SKS 1945 semi-automatic rifle and rounds of ammunition.

On Tuesday, a combined 14 charges were laid against the driver of the vehicle, 46-year-old Dale Whalen, and the passenger, 36-year-old Jaclyn Manning.

They have each been charged with a slew of offences including unauthorized possession of a firearm, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, and careless use, handling, and transport of a firearm.

The two accused appeared in court today.

Both are charged with:

• Careless use, handling, and transport of a firearm
• Contravention of use, storage, handling, and transport regulations
• Possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose
• Unauthorized possession of a firearm
• Possession of a firearm knowing its possession is unauthorized
• Unauthorized possession in a motor vehicle
• Possession of a prohibited or restricted firearm with ammunition