Police Warn Teens Over 'Assassins' Game
- Fremont police warned teens to stop playing a mock 'Assassins' game after safety concerns arose. - Although using fake weapons, the activity has led to risky patrol stops and traffic interventions. - Officers urged parents and schools to intervene to prevent dangerous encounters; full report on Patch. ( patch.com )
Fremont police are warning high school seniors to stop playing “Assassins” after reports of teens carrying realistic-looking toy guns around the city. (patch.com) The Fremont Police Department said the game is usually played off campus by 12th graders using water guns, Nerf blasters or other toy guns to “target” classmates. Officers said some of those toys look real enough to trigger emergency calls and high-risk patrol or traffic stops. (kron4.com) Police posted the warning on April 18 and said the activity had already caused public concern because people believed participants were carrying real weapons. The department said those calls can pull officers away from actual emergencies. (hoodline.com) “Senior assassin” is not a Fremont-only tradition. ABC News reported this month that police departments in several states have issued similar warnings after the game led to arrests, neighborhood scares and armed confrontations. (abcnews.go.com) In Indiana, Portage police said a teenager was arrested and charged after officers responded to a report tied to the game. USA Today reported other departments warned that teens have been seen hiding near homes, chasing cars and pointing imitation weapons in public. (usatoday.com) California law adds another risk. State penal code says no person may openly display or expose an imitation firearm in a public place, including a street, sidewalk, parking lot or even a car. (leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, california.public.law) Fremont police told parents to talk with their children about the game and told schools to help discourage it. The department said trespassing, reckless driving and bringing imitation weapons onto campus can lead to citations, arrests and financial liability if someone is hurt or property is damaged. (patch.com, yahoo.com) The warning is aimed at the last weeks of the school year, when senior traditions tend to spread fastest. In Fremont, police said what students treat as a game can look, to a caller or an officer, like an active gun threat. (kron4.com, patch.com)
