Police Warn Teens Over 'Assassins' Game

Fremont police are warning high school seniors to stop playing “Assassins” after recent calls and stops involving toy guns that looked real. (kron4.com) The Fremont Police Department said in an April 18 warning that the game is usually played off campus by 12th-grade students using water guns, Nerf blasters, or other imitation weapons to “target” classmates. Police said several incidents in Fremont have already led to high-risk patrol responses and traffic stops. (facebook.com) Police said the calls are pulling officers and dispatchers away from actual emergencies. They also said students can face arrest if they trespass, drive recklessly, or bring imitation guns onto school campuses. (hoodline.com) “Assassins” is a long-running senior game at many United States high schools, with players eliminating assigned targets over days or weeks using harmless toy weapons. In Fremont, police said the problem is not the game’s rules but the way it looks to neighbors, drivers, and officers responding to a gun call. (msn.com) That risk is sharper in a city setting, where a person running toward a car or house with a realistic-looking blaster can trigger a 911 report before anyone knows it is a game. Fremont police said officers responding to those reports have to treat them as potential armed encounters until they can confirm otherwise. (yahoo.com) The department urged parents to step in and tell students to stop playing in Fremont. Police said continuing the game could lead to detention, arrest, or a mistaken-identity response from officers or armed residents. (patch.com) Fremont police have pushed the warning through their public-alert channels and social media, where the department tells residents to call 911 for emergencies and use non-emergency lines for suspicious activity. The message this week was simple: a toy gun in a senior game can still produce a real police response. (fremontpolice.gov)