As a result of an increase in incidents involving gel pellets and toy guns, police throughout the country are warning parents about the dangers of the Orbeez Challenge.
After firing a gel pellet gun at a group of students outside of a middle school, four teenagers are in trouble in Pennsylvania.
A Volusia County woman was also struck in the arm while walking with her child and three people were hit by pellets in Deltona, law enforcement in Florida is also warning residents about the challenge.
According to police, the Orbeez Challenge is a viral social media trend that encourages people to shoot Orbeez water beads and gel pellets from air guns.
In the Orbeez Challenge, kids use water or BB guns to shoot strangers with Orbeez water beads. While the beads are soft, they are not intended to be shot from a gun and can cause injury if shot in this manner.
The manufacturer said packs of the popular children’s toy can come with up to 500 Orbeez and 1500 Orbeez seeds.
There have been numerous reports of people being injured as a result of being hit with these water beads, and while the Orbeez guns are not illegal or considered a deadly weapon, the New Smyrna Police Department stated on Facebook that firing it at an individual is a CRIME for which individuals can and will be held accountable.
The challenge is concerning, according to Chris Flanagan, Superintendent of Police in Radnor Township, Pennsylvania, because the toy guns being used are frequently altered to look like real weapons.
Flanagan said, when the challenge was done outside of Radnor Middle School, students and staff began running and the school restricted activity in the area.
“These challenges seem like they are funny,” he says. “They put laughter and other things behind them such as on TikTok and other social media platforms but anything that scared somebody or uses a weapon just is not a good idea.”
Flanagan says the incident could have escalated if an officer in the area would have seen the students with the gun outside of the school.
“I don’t even want to speculate what could happen, but you can imagine if an officer sees a weapon pointing out of a car and people running especially at a school and we know how sensitive everything in a school is, things could have really escalated,” he says. “We are lucky that that didn’t happen.
Before conducting any viral online challenges, he is urging students to get approval from school officials.
“You can still have fun, but you have to be smart, especially if it comes to anything that has a projectile or represents a weapon at a school. It is not a good idea at all and can be criminal,” Flanagan says.
Many teenagers who have been involved in the incidents around the globe are now facing charges.
The teenagers from Radnor, Pennsylvania, were charged with criminal possession of a weapon, disorderly conduct, harassment, and reckless endangerment.
Two 14-year-olds in Peachtree City, Georgia, were charged with aggravated assault after shooting gel pellets at children playing in a park.
Additionally, two children in LaGrange, Georgia were charged with reckless conduct and simple battery after shooting gel pellets at people’s heads. Their parent is also facing charges.
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Sources: Westernjournal, Newsweek, Newsobserver
