Police Plead for End to 'Paintball Wars' Inspired by Videos
(CBS Detroit/AP) — Police across the country have responded to hundreds of paintball fights in recent weeks, a trend that authorities say began around the time an Atlanta rapper began posting YouTube videos encouraging people to trade real guns for paintball weapons.
But what started as an attempt to reduce gun violence has become anything but harmless. Police believe the phenomenon led to shooting deaths last month in Greensboro, North Carolina, and near Atlanta. The fast-moving paintballs have also injured bystanders caught in the crossfire and caused property damage in Milwaukee, Detroit and Atlanta.
In Atlanta, one of the cities where paintball fights were first reported, the calls began near the end of March — around the same time that rapper 21 Savage began posting YouTube videos with the message "Guns Down, Paintballs Up," according to Sgt. John Chafee. In the videos, the rapper and his friends record themselves having "paintball wars" around the city.
In Detroit, police received 145 calls about paintball fights in just the past week. During one of those fights, a Detroit police captain's car was struck 11 times. One injured bystander is at risk of losing his eye, Detroit Police Chief James Craig said.
"It's under the guise of pick up paintball guns instead of real guns," Craig said. "That part is well-intentioned. But what's misguided is it's out in the public, and they're actually engaging in criminal activity when you talk about malicious destruction of property, when you talk about people who are being assaulted or injured."
Detroit police have arrested 10 people since last week and assembled a special unit to deal with the problem. Although there's been a slight decline in the number of calls in recent days, officers are still "taking a strong enforcement position," Craig said.
Paintball guns can also resemble real guns, making it difficult for police or someone else who is armed to tell the difference.
"So it really puts that person at tremendous risk," Craig said.
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