By Police1 Staff
WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah — A police department has released footage of an incident to warn parents about the dangers of toy guns, KFOR reported.
“This toy, quite frankly, could be the last toy that their child ever plays with if they don’t treat it with due respect and regard,” Police Chief Lee Russo told the publication.
Officers responded to a call on Sept. 11 after witness called to report seeing two teenagers with guns at an elementary school.
When the officers arrived on the scene, one teen was partially hidden behind a column. One officer told the teen to drop the gun as the teen jumped back behind the column. The other team then came into view and officers ordered both of them to put their hands up.
“You’re going to get yourself shot if you don’t stop,” the officer yelled in the video.
The teens surrendered, but the West Valley City Police Department is warnning the public that the situation could have turned deadly in seconds.
The officers later discovered the teens were carrying airsoft guns.
The department released the footage to show how a bad decision can be life-altering.
“Removing those tips, being out in a dimly-lit place at night where citizens perceive it is a real gun and call the police and we’re going to respond — it’s just not worth the risk,” Russo told KFOR. “No family wants to live with that. No police officer wants to live with that.”