Local police reported on Monday, October 12th that on the night of October 9th, two teenagers wearing tactical vests and carrying what appeared to be rifles were seen loitering near the Mallard Pointe community in Delaware, USA. They engaged in pranks, knocking on doors to scare residents before fleeing, captured by surveillance cameras.
Residents of the Mallard Pointe community reported seeing masked individuals approaching homes before 11 p.m. on Friday night. An investigation was initiated based on these reports.
Surveillance footage released by the police showed a man wearing a black hockey-style mask, tactical vest, and holding what seemed to be a rifle-like object standing outside a residence. Another clip showed a masked person in a black vest approaching another house.
Around 10:50 p.m., police received reports of suspicious individuals in the 1200 block of Canvasback Drive and immediately responded to the scene.
Residents informed investigators that a masked man carrying what seemed to be a rifle knocked on doors before fleeing, while four others were seen moving eastward along Mallard Road – two on bicycles and two on foot. Despite a search of the surrounding areas with the assistance of K-9 units, the individuals were not located.
On Sunday, October 11th, the New Castle County Police received tips that helped them track down the two teenagers, aged 16 and 17.
Andrea Botterbusch, a spokesperson for the New Castle County Police Department, confirmed to FOX NEWS that the two underage individuals were arrested on Sunday night.
As part of the investigation, a search warrant was executed at the residence of one of the teenagers, where a gel bead gun, tactical vest, and hockey-style mask were seized. Gel bead guns, also known as gel blasters, are outdoor toy launchers popular in the United States, similar in gameplay to airsoft or paintball.
The two minors are facing charges of two counts of harassment, one count of criminal mischief, and two counts of criminal trespassing violations.
Authorities determined that the teenagers knocking on residents’ doors late at night were engaging in pranks to scare neighbors, without any detected violent threats.
The outcome of the teenagers’ arraignment on Monday has yet to be made public.
In a previous incident on August 12th, Zymire Hughes, a 22-year-old man from Philadelphia, was captured wearing a “Chucky” mask in the city center, frightening pedestrians. The incident, which took place about 35 miles from Mallard Pointe, led to his arrest by the U.S. Marshals Service Philadelphia office in Las Vegas later that month, with extradition back to Pennsylvania.
(Reference: FOX NEWS)