GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - On July 4, a 13-year-old boy with a BB gun was handcuffed by police in Grand Rapids. On Wednesday, the department shared a photo of the BB gun that was taken in the incident.
In the post, GRPD said, "I know we sound like a broken record here, but PLEASE help us keep these replica guns out of kid's hands before something terrible happens, ruining many lives unnecessarily."
The original incident happened around noon at Heartside Park. According to Sergeant Cathy Williams, the department received a call of a young teenager in handling a 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.
The teenager was handcuffed and the replica gun was taken from him. He was then placed in a cruiser for a few minutes until officers could confirm it was a BB gun, Williams said.
The department is stressing that these BB guns are not toys and asking parents, if they choose to buy them, to keep them at home. There is no charge for carrying a BB gun in the city, but GRPD says it is advocating for stronger laws.
A video posted to Facebook shows the incident and how the officers handled it.
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter.
