The Regina police has charged a 20-year-old man after he was spotted downtown Saturday afternoon brandishing what appeared to be a gun. Police later discovered it was an airsoft gun with the orange tip painted black.

At about 3:22 p.m. CST, police arrived at 11th Avenue in the city's downtown, after they received a report of a man waving a firearm around and holding it to the neck of another person while pushing him against a wall.

Police found the man near the Regina Public Library and found he had the airsoft gun tucked into the waistband of his pants. The orange safety tip of the air soft gun had been painted black.

Police also found he had drugs on him.

The Regina man is charged with possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, carrying a concealed weapon, possession of a scheduled substance and three charges of breach of probation. He appeared in Regina provincial court to face the charges Monday morning.

"Anything that looks like a firearm is treated like the real thing until police know otherwise," read a Regina police news release. "A situation such as this, with the air soft pistol altered to make it look real, could have had tragic consequences."