post<\/a>. Those encounters can quickly escalate, posing a danger to students and the public, the Police Department said.<\/p>\nThe post included a photo of a teen carrying a realistic-looking toy pistol, which was captured by a doorbell camera in 2024, said Ziggy Azarcon, the department\u2019s public information officer. A resident mistook the toy for a real firearm and called police to report an armed person, he said. Officers responded and referred the teen to the department\u2019s youth services, which consists of school resource officers, he added.<\/p>\n
There haven\u2019t been any similar incidents recently, Azarcon said, but the department wanted to draw attention to potential risks as graduation season nears.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s when seniors at seemingly all the local high schools start playing the game, he said. There are different versions, but typically, teens organize a group of players and then track down and eliminate one another with shots from a water gun. The person who remains dry at the end wins; sometimes there\u2019s a pot of money involved, he said.<\/p>\n
Police want students to have fun and enjoy their final year of high school, but they should be mindful of the type of water gun they use and where and when they use it, he said. If it\u2019s dark, it may be difficult to tell the difference between a water gun and a real firearm, he said. <\/p>\n
And when it comes to the weapons themselves, he said, teens should choose \u201csomething that\u2019s obnoxiously fake-looking,\u201d like a neon green or orange Super Soaker.<\/p>\n