Teens playing a trending TikTok game called "Senior Assassins" are drawing police attention and could be at risk if the modified water guns they use are mistaken for real weapons, San Mateo police say.
Police responded to calls involving numerous teens with "guns" around Hillsdale Shopping Center on Friday night, the San Mateo department said.
"Police are detaining teens and locating these fake 'firearms' now," according to a department press release addressed to parents. "We are receiving calls and ask for your assistance to help end this game tonight."
"Today is 'Purge Day,'" police spokesperson Jeanine Luna said. "It's like a free-for-all, so there's like a hundred kids lying in fake wait" for victims.
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The Purge refers to a fictional annual event in which all crime becomes legal for one day. It is drawn from a dystopian action-horror film series.
"The guns aren't real, but could easily be mistaken for one, especially if modified" to disguise colorful toy markings with black paint, police said.
"We don't want anybody to get injured or lose their life for playing a game," Luna said.
