2 Washington County teens charged with shooting Orbeez gun at several people
CANTON TOWNSHIP, Pa. (KDKA) - Two Washington County high school students are facing charges after police say they shot at multiple people with what's called an Orbeez gun, something that shoots out BB-sized pellets of water.
Police say the first incident happened at the Burger King on West Chestnut Street in Canton Township. A manager says two employees were working the drive-thru when they got hit.
"One got shot in the eye and the lip and the other got shot in the neck and back," said Burger King Manager Lisa Pratt.
Pratt says her fellow manager and employee were working the drive-thru around 10:30 at night on Good Friday when out of nowhere, they got hit by an Orbeez gun.
"I know both of the girls definitely got stung together at one time," said Pratt. "They were stinging a lot. Itchy."
Pratt says the manager called police right away and filed a report.
State police say 18-year-old Maddix Ganster of Claysville, a student at McGuffey High School, was driving his mom's vehicle through the Burger King lot with a juvenile male in the back seat. Investigators say the juvenile, a student at Trinity High School, rolled down the rear driver's side window and shot two workers in the drive-thru. Ganster drove away, dropped the teen off and went to the Washington Wild Things parking lot where he rolled down his driver's side window and shot two people getting out of a vehicle. Police say Ganster took off and disposed of the guns.
KDKA went to Ganster's home. The woman who answered the door denied that the incidents ever happened.
Police are warning people to watch out for the latest TikTok trend called the "Orbeez challenge" which encourages users to shoot the gel bullets filled with water at victims. While troopers say Ganster denied taking part in the challenge, he told KDKA over Facebook that's why he did what he did and says he's sorry.
Back at Burger King, Pratt says people need to be held accountable for their actions.
"I hope the kids get their fair share of the punishment of hurting everybody else that they hurt," she said. "It's sad. You get scared coming to work at night you don't know what's gonna happen out here in this big old world."
Pratt says both Burger King employees are back to work.
A spokesperson with the Washington Wild Things says none of their employees were hit. They say a lot of people like to go for walks in that area.
Investigators say there have been no confirmed cases of the "Orbeez Challenge" in the area.
