Jeannette police seeking help to identify pair involved in shooting toy gun in face of motorist

Jeannette police are seeking help identifying two people connected to the Monday shooting of a toy gel pellet gun at a motorist. The driver was hit three times in the face.

The incident was reported just before 10 p.m. in the area of Clay Avenue and Fourth Street, Chief Donald Johnston Jr. said.

The driver was not seriously hurt. An Orbeez brand gun like the one thought to have been used in the incident shoots up to 300 beads per minute, according to the product website.

Johnston said if police can identify the pair, they likely will face criminal charges. The driver told investigators that it was a female who fired the toy gun. Police released surveillance images of them Tuesday and said the person dressed in black in the photos is the one who fired the toy gun.

Johnston said such toys should be used with caution and never aimed at a person or animal.

The department has received a couple of reports recently of juveniles using the toy guns. Police departments across the country have reported similar incidents stemming from the so-called “Orbeez Challenge,” which has become popular on social media.

Teens shooting the toy gun this month led to a confrontation that resulted in the death of a 17-year-old boy in Akron, Ohio, according to the Akron Beacon Journal. Parents in southern Colorado were warned in April of the challenge, according to the Pueblo Chieftain.

Anyone with information on the identities of the people in the Jeannette surveillance images is asked to call police at 724-527-4013 or 911. Tips can be left online here.