GILBERT, Ariz. — The Gilbert Police Department is warning kids not to shoot at people with projectiles called Orbeez after several recent reports of incidents involving these or items very similar to them.
There was a surge of this activity back in 2022 in what became known as the “Orbeez challenge” and police are now seeing the trend emerge again in the spring of 2024.
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Police said kids had been "shooting these water gel pellets/projectiles at each other, at bystanders, and/or at property."
Police also warned that in some of the instances, the pellets had been frozen, making them even more dangerous with "serious bodily injury and additional damage."
Not only are these items dangerous but also in many cases criminal, according to police
"Some makes, and models may fall under Arizona's definition of a firearm, if the weapon expels a projectile by the action of expanding gases. Some makes and models replicate the size, color, and appearance of firearms and may be mistaken for firearms. Displaying or using these items to shoot gel pellets/projectiles could result in charges of, at a minimum: aggravated assault, assault, criminal damage, and/or disorderly conduct. Additionally, it could result in a use of physical force or deadly physical force by others."
Police are asking parents to discuss the issue with their kids.
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