DAVENPORT, Iowa — The Davenport Police Department is warning the public after a series of events that happened over the weekend were tied to a social media trend.
According to a news release from DPD on Monday, March 14, authorities are warning parents of a trend involving shooting water-based gel beads from altered toy guns at unsuspecting motorists.
DPD says that over the weekend on March 12 and 13, officers responded to multiple calls involving kids carrying out the trend after it began to spread across the country.
The Department detailed multiple avenues for danger within the trend, including personal injuries, potential crashes by distracted drivers, and potential danger from the toy guns being mistaken for real ones, in the case of one toy in LaGrange, Georgia that had been painted black and silver to make it look more real.
In addition, they say that the trend could be elevated to the level of a criminal misdemeanor, citing Davenport City ordinance 9.40.010, which prohibits the use of dangerous toys within City limits.
Police recommend that parents discus the dangers and consequences of the trend with their kids and to check to see if any toy guns were altered, and to teach children about using social media platforms responsibly.