St. Louis Park police are urging parents not to let their children play with replica or toy firearms in public, after officers had a few tense moments Friday night after responding to what turned out to be two boys with toy guns.
Police were called to the north side of Peter Hobart Elementary School around 8 p.m. Friday, after bystanders noticed two teenage boys with what appeared to be firearms, according to police spokeswoman Jacqueline Larson.
When officers arrived, one of the boys turned toward them and pointed the gun he was holding in their direction, according to a post on the department's Facebook page. The boy then pulled a second gun from his waistband.
"Thankfully something about the situation did not seem right to the officer and he was able to take another second to figure out it was a toy," the post said.
The two boys, ages 13 and 14, were unharmed.
"We're obviously very pleased with the outcome of this incident, which we attribute to the training and the experience of our officers who responded," Larson said. "But also, we really want to help this be an educational thing for parents, to be aware that it's really not a good idea to have these replica guns ... that look very much like real firearms in public areas."
Emma Nelson • 612-673-4509
