The San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office warned people to be on the lookout for teenagers using toy guns to shoot people with gel pellets as part of a social media trend on TikTok.
While speaking to the media, Sergeant Javier Acosta said that a toy gun remains a toy gun until it is used to victimize people, and that is when law enforcement is forced to get involved, which can take a pretty ugly turn.
Sergeant Acosta said the attacks were the result of an ongoing trend on TikTok encouraging users to shoot strangers with toy guns. His office had received numerous reports about the toy gun attacks in the last few weeks.
Guns with Orbeez gel pellets are being used to prank people into thinking they are being shot with real guns, and although no serious injuries have been reported, police are warning people to be on the alert so they can put a stop to the social media trend.
One of the victims of the prank, Sabrina Davis, said that the attacks happen as people walk down the street minding their own business and suddenly, someone comes up to them and shoots them. Unfortunately, nowadays, it’s almost impossible to tell if it’s a gun, a water gun, or a gel pellet gun.
According to the Sheriff’s office, a group of teens drives up beside people as they record and shoot them with the Orbeez pellets. They then put up the videos on social media, thinking that it’s funny but according to Sgt. Acosta, it’s a dangerous thing to do.
Orbeez pellets are supposed to be used for fun and not for scaring people.
The trend has been ongoing and recently resurfaced in San Mateo County. Police warned people about the dangers of the Orbeez challenge in March last year as incidents involving gel particles rose sharply.
California law says that negligently shooting a pellet gun is illegal and can result in felony charges and up to one-year imprisonment if it leads to an injury.
