West of the Quad Cities, a teenage boy was cited after he damaged a city street sweeper with his BB gun.
A spokesperson from the City of Marshalltown said that shortly before 9 a.m. on Wednesady, April 23, 2014 a city employee running a street sweeper in town heard a sound “like a gun shot.” After hearing the sound again, the window of the street sweeper was shattered.
The Central Iowa Times-Republican reported that the city worker was unharmed.
The City of Marshalltown said police found that the damage was most likely caused by a BB gun, but they had no suspects.
Just after 6:30 p.m., a 15-year-old boy, who was with his parents, went to the Marshalltown Police Department and admitted to accidentally damaging the street sweeper. He told police that he had been shooting his high powered Air Soft rifle in his backyard when a pellet ricocheted and hit the street sweeper.
Once the teen saw the damage, he reportedly hid from police because he was afraid.
The teen was cited for fourth-degree criminal mischief and was sent home with his parents.
The Times-Republican’s report stated that Marshalltown Police Captain Brian Batterson said that a city ordinance restricts BB gun use within the city limits.
