Teens' prank with Orbeez toy gun turns into armed confrontation ending in 2 arrests in Central Florida, police say
A prank gone wrong in Central Florida ended with two people arrested on Wednesday evening after a loaded gun was pointed at three teenagers, police say.
Port St. Lucie Police arrested Gregory Allen Davis, 49, and a 15-year-old after what started as a prank involving an Orbeez toy gun escalated into an armed confrontation.
According to police, the 15-year-old fired a blue, white, and yellow Piranha Orbeez toy gun from a moving vehicle near a residential intersection. The teen later told investigators he had mistakenly targeted the wrong car, believing it belonged to his friend. He and the other two teens said that they were attempting to pull a prank.
Davis was in the vehicle that was hit and said that he and his fiancée were being shot at. He then called 911 and began chasing after the teenagers.
Police said on a Facebook Reel of the incident that Davis had multiple opportunities to disengage while officers were actively responding to the scene. Instead, after the juveniles stopped their vehicle, Davis got out of his car armed with a loaded handgun, ordering the teens out of the car at gunpoint.
Davis was arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill and false imprisonment of a child to commit aggravated abuse. According to the Port St. Lucie Sheriff's Office arrest search, his bond has been set at $30,000.
The 15-year-old was charged with shooting or throwing a missile at or into an occupied vehicle.
Port Saint Lucie Police said that their "Drone as First Responder" program was deployed within seconds of the 911 call, which helps officers get aerial surveillance of the scene before patrol units arrive on the ground.
Police used the incident to warn the public that pranks involving Orbeez guns, airsoft guns, or other toy firearms can provoke dangerous reactions and lead to criminal charges. They also cautioned that pursuing or confronting a suspect with a firearm, rather than waiting for law enforcement, can result in charges of its own.
No one was injured.