GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Officers from the Grand Rapids Police Department responded a 13-year-old boy carrying a BB gun on July 4.
The incident occurred around noon at Heartside Park. According to Sergeant Cathy Williams, the department received a call of a young teenager in the park handling a gun. The caller gave a detailed description of the teenager and said he was "fumbling/dropping bullets" while holding the gun.
Williams said the caller was fearful at first because the young teen had a gun, but also that it was in a heavily populated area.
When officers arrived at the park, they found the teenager running from the park. He was ordered to stop and obeyed, and officers held him at gunpoint until backup arrived.
The teenager was handcuffed and the replica gun was removed from his waistband. He was then placed in a cruiser for a few minutes until officers could confirm it was a BB gun, Williams said.
The boy's mother was on scene and he was turned over to her after the incident.
A video posted to Facebook shows the incident and how the officers handled the situation safely.
Williams said he the boy was not arrested, and she added that the city does not prohibit the "carrying" of BB guns but only shooting them off on private property.
Williams added that since BB guns are legal to shoot on private property in a safe manner, police recommends they remain on private property so these kinds of situations are avoided.
The Grand Rapids City Attorney says a proposed ordinance is in the works to ban the brandishing of replica guns, BB guns and paint guns that can be mistaken for real firearms.
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