Police Warn Teens Against Assassins Game

Fremont police are warning high school seniors to stop playing “Assassins” after reports of teens carrying toy guns that looked real in public. (kron4.com) The Fremont Police Department said the game is usually played off campus, with 12th-graders using water guns, Nerf guns or other toy guns to “target” classmates around the city. Police said some of those toys have been realistic enough to trigger emergency calls and officer responses. (yahoo.com) Police said the activity has already led to high-risk patrol and traffic stops in Fremont, where officers respond as if a reported gun could be real until they know otherwise. The department said those calls can also disrupt traffic and pull officers and 911 resources away from actual emergencies. (kron4.com) “Assassins,” often called “Senior Assassin,” is a last-semester elimination game that has spread at high schools across the United States, usually in the weeks before graduation. Students track assigned classmates and try to “eliminate” them with water guns, often outside school and outside adult supervision. (usatoday.com) Police departments in other states have issued similar warnings this spring after arrests, neighborhood scares and reports of teenagers running through parking lots or residential streets with imitation weapons. Good Morning America reported this week that departments around the country have urged students to avoid private property and public places where the game can be mistaken for a real threat. (goodmorningamerica.com) In Fremont, police said students who carry something that resembles a firearm can end up in law-enforcement contact, and that trespassing, reckless driving or bringing imitation weapons onto a campus can lead to citations or arrest. The department also said parents could face financial liability if injuries or property damage result from the game. (yahoo.com) Fremont police asked parents to talk with their teenagers now, before more spring graduation events put seniors out on the road and in neighborhoods with toy guns. The department’s message was blunt: what students may treat as a prank can look to bystanders and officers like an armed encounter. (msn.com)