A 28-year-old has been arrested and charged in relation to the incident

Transit Police say the incident happened after an argument between two men that knew each other escalated

A dog is recovering after being shot in the paw with a BB gun

BURNABY (NEWS 1130) – A man has been arrested by Metro Vancouver Transit Police after a dog was shot with a BB gun near Metrotown SkyTrain Station.

A 28-year-old man has been charged following the incident.

Officers say the dog owner and a man were arguing over the sale of a cell phone at the station Tuesday morning when things escalated.

“That’s when one of the men pulled out a BB gun. He had told the other man that if he didn’t hand over the cellphone he would shoot his dog,” said Sgt. Clint Hampton with Metro Vancouver Transit Police.

The dog was shot in the front paw, causing it to bleed.

Transit officers patrolling the area heard the argument and arrested a suspect. Police say the two men knew each other and used to panhandle together near the Metrotown area.

William Michael Ayers was arrested and charged with injuring a dog, possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose, and carrying a concealed weapon.

Ayers has been released since and is expected to appear in court on Feb. 6.

Police say the dog, ‘Mac,’ suffered minor injuries and is expected to make a full recovery.

“Thankfully the dog didn’t, there were no serious injuries,” added Hampton. “Obviously, a BB to the foot is still going to do some damage so there was a bit of bleeding.”

-With files from Amanda Wawryk