A 16-year-old was arrested Friday night after approaching the “Movie in the Park” event with a toy gun that had been painted black, police say.
The suspect was seen wearing a mask and holding what appeared to be a real weapon in Veteran’s Park around 8:30 p.m., according to DeRidder Police. Several witnesses contacted the police.
Upon arrival, officers discovered that the gun was a toy. Officers booked the juvenile on charges of terrorizing and wearing masks in public places. The juvenile was later released to parents, according to DeRidder police.
The Beauregard Parish Sheriff’s Office had learned that teenagers were altering toy guns to make them look real, and they had issued a warning earlier that day. BPSO asks parents to make sure their children are using toy guns as intended.
“This one in this case was totally spray painted black which resembled a real gun,” said DeRidder Police Chief Craig Richard. “Other people in the general public, law enforcement - when you see it, it can be very dangerous situation and cause fear and alarm, and in this case it did do that.”
https://www.kplctv.com/2022/03/19/teen-accused-terrorizing-deridder-family-event-with-mask-toy-gun/