Man arrested in Oshawa weapons raid claims ‘disgruntled tenant’ tip led to misunderstanding

The man arrested in an Oshawa police raid which discovered multiple weapons, including rifles, alleges a “disgruntled tenant” tipped police off about guns he legally owns, resulting in a legal “misunderstanding.”

Allan Chapman, 48, was arrested following a raid on his Beatrice St. home on July 4. Durham Regional Police claimed they discovered multiple rifles, a set of brass knuckles (which are prohibited in Canada) and two prohibited knives. 

The alleged discovery resulted in 24 charges for Chapman including of weapons dangerous, possession of a gun without a licence, and unsafe storage, according to a police release on July 6. He was held in custody until a bail hearing.

Chapman’s lawyer, Victor O’Brien, reached out to Insauga on July 10 with a statement from Chapman himself. He noted he was granted bail on July 6, shortly after the police release. The presiding justice, who was not named, granted bail in part because Chapman has not previously been in trouble with the law in all his 48 years.

Additionally, the justice found Chapman was “gainfully employed, a contributing member of the Oshawa community, and is a family man with a young son.”

“Chapman has been a law-abiding registered gun owner his entire life, and he recently moved to Ontario from Nova Scotia, where these firearms were used for hunting and sports gaming purposes,” O’Brien wrote. As a result, O’Brien added he felt there were several triable elements in this case and stressed that Chapman is presumed innocent before the law.

“When the smoke clears, we expect the evidence will show the police acted on a tip of a disgruntled tenant, and this is all a misunderstanding,” he concluded.