Kaiserslautern police responded to witness reports of a suspect who brandished a pistol, and expressed intentions to harm another man. (Mettman Police)

A man wielding a firearm that appeared to be real sparked an extensive police response Wednesday evening in eastern Kaiserslautern, resulting in his arrest and the seizure of a blank-firing pistol, according to Westpfalz Police.

Local residents alerted a police patrol to a suspicious individual in the Asternweg area. Witnesses reported the man was inquiring about a 55-year-old individual while brandishing the pistol, with implied intentions to harm the man he was looking for.

A coordinated search ensued, involving units from German federal police, special crisis response units and Westpfalz Police. The suspect, a 43-year-old male, was located and arrested without resistance at his home later that evening.

During the arrest, officers confiscated a blank-firing gun from the suspect’s residence. He was also required to undergo a blood test and was temporarily detained.

Authorities are now investigating him on charges of disturbing the peace, making threats and violating firearm laws.