Child arrested for shooting toy gun

PERKINS TWP. — A child was arrested and charged with assault for allegedly shooting strangers with pellets from a toy gun in an apparent social media challenge. On Friday afternoon, Perkins police officers were called to Target for a group of kids shooting toy guns at shoppers from their car. The kids had left Target before the officers arrived. When officers arrived, they reportedly found that one person had been hit by an "Orbeez" projectile. The officers were dispatched to another parking lot for the same issue. The suspect's car was found, and one child was arrested for assault. In the aftermath, via social media Perkins police issued a warning to parents, cautioning them about growing social media trends that are promoting similar mischievous behavior. The post urged them to talk to their kids about them. "The Perkins Township Police Department encourages parents to discuss the dangers of this type of activity with their children as well as any other social media trends they may encounter in the future," the post reads. "Pointing any type of firearm, even a toy, is inherently dangerous for obvious reasons. We want to keep our kids and our community safe by starting these dialogues sooner rather than later."