High school prank war takes ‘very dangerous turn’ in metro Atlanta, police say
By Web staff
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ATLANTA, Georgia (WANF) — A high school prank war in Alpharetta nearly ended in tragedy over the weekend, according to law enforcement officials.
The annual prank fest known as the “Junior/Senior Wars” took a “very dangerous turn,” and could have resulted in serious injury or the death of a student, Alpharetta police wrote in a social media post Tuesday.
Police said groups of students wearing ski masks and carrying “very realistic” airsoft-type rifles went to the homes of fellow students to “attack” them.
“In a world where images of home invasions and other attacks are all too commonly seen on television, it is no surprise that residents who saw students involved in this behavior called 911 to report armed home invasions or similar crimes in progress,” police said.
Alpharetta police officers “prepared for encounters with armed and dangerous criminals” responded quickly to the calls.
“Thankfully, due to the training and professionalism of our officers, no one was injured, but it is not hard to imagine how badly things might have turned out,” they said.
Police are urging Alpharetta parents to help put a stop to the dangerous behavior.
“Please, talk to your kids about the dangers involved,” they wrote, adding that parents who have airsoft-type guns in their home should make sure they know where they are, and prevent their kids from taking them out at night.
“The students involved are not bad kids coming from outside the community,” police said. “They are Alpharetta kids who are just not thinking fully about their actions. Unfortunately, what to them seems like harmless fun could end in tragedy.”
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