Beaumont, CA - The Beaumont Police Department has received three reports of assaults with “air soft” guns over the last two days. Victims are reporting being struck with small water or gel filled pellets by a passing vehicle. We recently became aware of a Tik Tok trend circulating, which is known as the “Orbeez Challenge.” We believe these incidents could be related to this challenge. The “Challenge” involves filming videos of yourself “shooting” random people with “Orbeez” or water/gel filled pellets, as a source of entertainment.
While this challenge may seem like a prank, it could be very dangerous. Individuals driving around “shooting” random members of the public is of serious concern to the Beaumont Police Department. Some law enforcement agencies are reporting the gel pellets are frozen prior to being discharged, which makes them more likely to cause serious physical injury or property damage. In two of the incidents the victims reported seeing a small, white Ford sedan with several occupants. In the third incident, the vehicle was described as an older model gray Dodge Charger. In two of the incidents, victims reported receiving minor injuries and abrasions, these injuries did not require medical attention. We would encourage parents to monitor your children’s use of social media, as well as have conversations about the very serious consequences of potentially causing severe injuries to innocent victims, as well as riding around with replica firearms.
These cases are under investigation, if anyone has information, please contact the On-Duty Watch Commander, at 951-769-8500.
