2 men charged in separate firearm seizures at Edmonton restaurant, bar

EPS says it seized this firearm at a bar earlier this month. (Supplied)

Two men are facing charges after police seized two firearms at separate restaurants and bars this year, the Edmonton Police Service said on Thursday.

On Feb. 27, the EPS Gang Suppression Team conducted a "proactive walk" through a restaurant in the area of 99 Street and Jasper Avenue where it ran into a group known to police and asked them to leave.

Officers found a loaded handgun in a bag left behind, which they say belonged to a member of the group — 27-year-old Tysean Wawryk.

Wawryk fled on foot when police called out for him outside the restaurant, EPS said, but he was arrested as he tried to go into a hotel a short time later.

EPS says it seized this firearm at a restaurant in February. (Supplied)

During another proactive walk through a bar in the area of 103 Street and 81 Avenue on April 8, police noticed a man run through a crowd toward a back room, where they said he threw a loaded handgun onto a sofa and fled the bar.

Indeerdeep Sidhu, 27, was arrested outside.

Police said he was also in possession of another person's ID.

Wawryk and Sidhu are both facing several firearm-related charges.

“While unrelated, both of these arrests illustrate the prevalence of illegal firearms in our community,” said Staff Sgt. Eric Stewart.