ARIZONA, USA — Numerous police departments across the country are warning teens not to take part in what's being called the "Orbeez challenge."
Named after the soft Orbeez gel balls, the challenge involves videos of young people shooting the pellets with an airsoft gun at strangers.
Multiple rounds of some type of ammunition alerted Valley resident Alicia Etue something was happening outside her driveway.
“My perception from the beginning was, ‘is this a real gun?'” she said. “I didn’t know.”
The sound of bullets was followed by yelling and cars speeding off so she looked at her security cameras.
Etue saw several people, from what she could tell were teens, driving in several cars as they shot at each other.
“I noticed that it looked like they were playing tag with little BB guns, which I later found out it was Orbeez guns,” she said.
Multiple law enforcement departments have put out videos where people have been targeted at their homes or when out on the road.
Yuma police arrested four teens accused of shooting at bystanders in their city.
“Kids are doing it, they are taking on the challenge and they are shooting random victims,” said Officer Jaret Redfearn, from the Avondale Police Department, who also put out a warning on social media.
The people taking part in this challenge also spray paint the toy guns black to make them look more like real guns, Redfearn said. Something that can lead to a dangerous situation, he added.
“It’s a very tense and fraught interaction between the citizen and the officer because they have what appears to be a real gun,” he said.
Anyone taking part in the challenge could face criminal charges, Redfearn said.
“They are stepping into a criminal realm with this challenge,” he said. “It can range from a minor misdemeanor of disorderly conduct all the way up to assault or aggravated assault which is a felony.”
That’s why authorities are urging everyone not to take part.
“These are dangerous situations, it’s not something you should be wondering around or participating in this challenge to shoot your friends with or other people,” Redfearn said.
VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL: 'El desafío Orbeez' ahora en Arizona: Las personas pueden enfrentar cargos por delitos graves si son arrestadas por participar
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