"Teenage students running through neighborhoods with realistic water guns may trigger an emergency response, the Irvine Police Department said in a social media post. Those encounters can quickly escalate, posing a danger to students and the public, the Police Department said. The post included a photo of a teen carrying a realistic-looking toy pistol, which was captured by a doorbell camera in 2024, said Ziggy Azarcon, public information officer with the Irvine Police Department."
"A resident mistook the toy for a real firearm and called police to report an armed person, he said. Officers responded and referred the teen to the department's youth services, which consists of school resource officers, he added. There haven't been any similar incidents recently, Azarcon said, but the Police Department wanted to draw attention to potential risks as graduation season nears."
"That's when seniors at seemingly all the local high schools start playing the game, he said. There are different versions but typically, teens organize a group of players and then track down and eliminate one another with shots from a water gun. The person who remains dry at the end wins; sometimes there's a pot of money involved, he said."
Police in Orange County warned that a high school game called "senior assassin" has students shooting one another with water guns and gel blasters that can resemble real firearms. Teenage players running through neighborhoods with realistic-looking toy pistols may trigger emergency responses and dangerous escalations. A doorbell camera captured a teen carrying a realistic-looking toy pistol; a resident mistook it for a firearm and called police, who referred the teen to youth services. The game often resurfaces near graduation season, involves different versions including cash prizes, and police advise students to be mindful of toy appearance, timing, and locations to reduce risk.
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