GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) – Green Bay police say it’s seen an uptick in people shooting at others using gel guns. The most recent incident happened June 29 on City Deck in downtown Green Bay.
Captain Clint Beguhn said he believes it started as a TikTok trend.
“We got a call from some people who were at the splash pad (at City Deck). They were not involved in it, but they were getting shot by these gel guns,” said Beguhn.
Police say they eventually caught up with the kids and that’s when things got more intense.
“They were very upset while we waited to talk to one of their parents,” Beguhn said. “One of the parents was on the way and they became confrontational and things just escalated to where we had to make arrests.
Police told Local 5 there have been 18 incidents, like this one, since the beginning of June. While that number is still relatively low, Beguhn says they want to try and get a handle on it before it becomes a bigger problem.
The guns are widely available, and while most look like toys, some are a little too realistic.
Officers are not taking any chances. Chief Chris Davis issued a warning on Facebook and says anyone who attacks people with these guns can expect to be arrested and held accountable.
“We gotta get on these problems now,” Beguhn said. “They’re obviously growing to the point that they’re causing concern to the public and we’ll keep responding to them.”
Green Bay police said it planned to step up patrols at City Deck and around downtown, as well as at city parks.