Crime & Safety
TikTok Stunt: Teens Shoot Pedestrians With Water Beads In Mt Prospect
Mount Prospect police arrested two teens, who they said were taking part in a social media stunt called the "Orbeez Challenge."
MOUNT PROSPECT, IL — The latest TikTok trend has led to the arrests of two 16-year-old juveniles in Mount Prospect. The duo is accused of violating two village ordinances — possession of a dangerous weapon by a minor and disorderly conduct — and were arrested on March 23.
Police said they have seen a recent increase in incidents involving a new social media trend, popularized on TikTok, called the "Orbeez Challenge," in which people shoot airsoft pellets or water beads at random bystanders from a gel-blaster gun or airsoft gun.
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With the arrests, police said the teens "knowingly creating a disturbance of public order by an act of violence." At around 2:10 p.m. March 23, police responded to the area of School Street and Berkshire Lane for a 911 call of a person shot by an airsoft gun by a passing vehicle. The victim provided the 911 dispatcher with a vehicle description and partial license plate information, as well as a description of the occupants of the vehicle.
A responding officer located a vehicle matching the description provided by the victim and conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle in the 100 block of South Emerson Street. Officers located two electric air guns containing water beads — also known as Orbeez — in the vehicle. The two juvenile occupants of the vehicle were brought to police headquarters. Both juveniles were assigned to an upcoming adjudication court date.
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Mount Prospect police said other local law enforcement agencies, as well as agencies across the country, have been taking reports of teenagers shooting at unsuspecting people, sometimes causing potentially serious and permanent injuries.
“We are asking parents to take this incident as an opportunity to talk with their teenage children about the dangers and seriousness of actively participating in these types of trends they see on social media,” Police Chief Michael Eterno said.
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