Harvey Police Arrest Five Riding Around Car With Paintball Guns Near Thornton H.S.
(CBS) -- Harvey police say some teens were riding around shooting them off near Thornton High School.
The scene was so chaotic, some teens called 911 for help.
Five males, ranging in age from 14 to 21, are in police custody, CBS 2's Dana Kozlov reports. Harvey officers say the fact that all are safe is a testament to officer training.
Harvey police officer Willie Giddens says his adrenaline is still pumping after the incident Wednesday. People called 911 reporting five guys in a car with guns around Thornton High School.
Giddens and a deputy chief stopped the silver Dodge Magnum.
"I approached the vehicle and once I approached the vehicle from the driver's side and got to the back door, I saw the barrel of a gun pointed up at me so what I did is I backed up and I drew down," Giddens said.
The two got the guys out of the car only to discover that they were paintball guns.
"This is an incident that could have been fatal," Deputy Chief Gregory Thomas says if the officers hadn't shown restraint.
"If you are in an adrenaline-fueled situation and you see weapons like you have seen sticking out of a car window, the presumption is that that's real," said attorney Travis Richardson.
It all happened around 4 p.m. around Thornton High School and a nearby park. Some students say paintball guns aside, they're glad police stopped them.
"It could have thought as a gun or they could have been targeting someone for real," said sophomore Erica Burnett.
The deputy chief says charges may be pending but the case is still being reviewed by prosecutors.
