SEBRING, FL— The Highlands County Sheriff’s Office, Sebring Police Department, and The School Board of Highlands County are warning students and parents about the dangers of using fake firearms in public after two recent incidents involving students.
According to the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office, a Sebring High School student brought an unloaded flare gun to school Thursday and pointed it at another student’s head. In a separate incident on Tuesday, five students riding in a vehicle were detained by law enforcement after a passerby reported seeing what appeared to be a real firearm being pointed at a pedestrian from the vehicle’s window. Deputies later discovered several Orbeez guns, which fire plastic projectiles, inside the car.
Officials emphasized that while replica firearms and unloaded flare guns may appear harmless, they can easily be mistaken for real weapons by law enforcement officers or armed citizens responding to a perceived threat.
Authorities said the students involved in Tuesday’s incident were detained at gunpoint because deputies had to assume the reported firearm was real until the situation was secured. Both incidents remain under investigation, and charges are pending.
SOURCE: HIGHLANDS COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
