A 17-year-old male is facing an assault and battery charge after he allegedly fired a "splatter ball gun" at two children in Groveland, Massachusetts, last weekend.
The teen is from Groveland, and police said he has been issued a summons to appear in Lawrence Juvenile Court on Aug. 2. His name is not being released because he is a minor.
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According to Groveland police, two children were walking in the area of Main and Broad streets around 8:15 p.m. on July 15 when a passing vehicle slowed and the passenger rolled down the window and shot what appeared to be a splatter ball gun at them. A splatter ball gun shoots gel balls, pellets or beads.
Both children suffered bruises but are expected to be OK.
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The investigation is ongoing, and police are still looking to identify the driver of the vehicle, another minor believed to be from New Hampshire.
Groveland police said this is the second incident like this that has happened in recent months. On June 17, they received a report of someone shooting pellets at pedestrians in the area of Main Street and Elm Park. No one was injured. An arrest has been made in that case and police said they do not believe the June 17 and July 15 incidents are related.
Police said they believe both incidents are related to a social media trend.
“It’s troubling to think it’s considered acceptable to scare and potentially hurt someone just to get attention on social media,” Groveland Police Chief Jeffrey Gillen said in a statement. “We ask parents to be aware of what their children are doing, and ask the public to contact us any time they see behavior they think is suspicious.”
