WEST VANCOUVER, B.C. -- Police in the Vancouver area say a man who was arrested after reports that someone with a gun had walked into a bank was, in fact, not armed and was not intending to stage a robbery.

The incident started on Sunday when police were called to a shopping centre in West Vancouver after receiving information that a man was walking around the mall with a gun in his hand.

When the man walked into a bank, the bank was evacuated and several nearby stores were closed as police began negotiating with the man.

The man was arrested, but he was released a short time later.

Now, police say the man was not armed and wasn't attempting to rob the bank.

The West Vancouver Police Department have not offered an explanation for the mix-up.