Saturday's Emergency Alert

Brian Teepell/USPA 24 News - NEWS RELEASE FROM RCMP:
RCMP Halifax Regional Detachment has charged a man after receiving a report of a man with a gun in Enfield.

On November 29th, at approximately 9:44 am, RCMP officers responded to a report of a man with a sawed-off shotgun in the 100 block of Oldham Rd. While en route, officers learned the man was last seen getting into a Saturn SUV. A responding officer located the SUV in the area and attempted a traffic stop. The vehicle failed to stop and instead pulled into a driveway in the 400 block of Oldham Rd.

The officer saw a man with facial tattoos, wearing a white toque and white shirt, exit the passenger side of the Saturn. When ordered to stop, the man fled into the woods. The driver of the Saturn, a 51-year-old woman from Shubenacadie, was arrested but later released without charge.

Halifax Regional Police Canine Unit assisted in tracking the man. An emergency alert was issued, and residents provided real-time sightings of the man. During the track, officers located discarded clothing, brass knuckles, a shotgun shell casing, and identification belonging to the suspect. A remotely piloted aircraft system (RPAS) was deployed and located the man running along Nine Mile River. The RPAS followed him to the 600 block of Highway 214 in Belnan, where he was safely arrested at 1:07pm

The man, 39-year-old Michael Franklyn Garden Cole of Shubenacadie, was transported to hospital for non-life-threatening injuries. Later on November 29, East Hants District RCMP received a report of a theft from a business in Elmsdale involving a man with face tattoos that had occurred earlier in the day. The stolen item was recovered from the Saturn by RCMP officers.

Garden Cole has been charged with: Possession of a Weapon for a Dangerous Purpose. Possession of a Prohibited Weapon. Possession of Property Obtained by Crime. Fail to Comply with Release Order.(two counts) Possession of a Weapon Contrary to Prohibition Order. He is also facing three additional counts of Fail to Comply with Release Order relating to a previous investigation.

The gun Garden Cole is believed to have had with him at the time of the incident has not been located. The investigation is ongoing. Garden Cole is scheduled to appear in Dartmouth Provincial Court on December 3rd.

Anyone with information about this incident, or Garden Cole’s movements on November 29th between 9:30 am and 1:10 pm, is asked to contact their local RCMP detachment or police service of jurisdiction. To remain anonymous, call Nova Scotia Crime Stoppers, toll-free, at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), submit a secure web tip at www.crimestoppers.ns.ca, or use the P3 Tips app. Information from RCMP. File #: 25-172954, 2025-1704565, 2025-1762333