SAN ANTONIO — A dangerous TikTok challenge has law enforcement and parents concerned about safety.
Police across the nation are sounding the alarm, including in our area. The prank involves shooting people with a so-called splat toy gun. It's filled with a painful projectile.
A 13-year-old who lives in Schertz said he and his friends were hit at least 25 times.
"I thought they were real guns," he said. "Me and my friend got off the swings and started running."
Jarrett Aguinaga was at the Saddle Creek playground on Sunday. He said fun quickly turned to fright.
"We just hear these gun sounds that were really fast," he said.
The teen said people wearing masks got out of a car and started shooting at them. He said he and his friends ran, and at first they thought it was a real gun.
"I tripped over a rock and fell," he said. You see right here and there. They started chasing us and started shooting at us, hitting us. It smacked our skin and it hurt really bad."
However, it wasn't a real gun. Cibolo Police said this is all part of a TikTok challenge. KENS 5 spoke with Richard Mireles with the department.
"If you get hit in the right place, I believe it can take an eye out," Mireles said.
Police say juveniles are shooting from a toy gun filled with a gel projectile.
These gel projectiles may look non-life-threatening, but the people that are getting hit by them, one this is causing them a substantial inconvenience," he said. "It is causing them pain. It is not a game. And it is not funny."
At least three reports have been filed in the area since the start of May.
"They are random events," the officer said. "People in their front yard. Kids at playgrounds."
"It felt like a really hard ice cube hitting your leg," Aguinaga said.
