Police warn of ‘Orbeez Challenge’ after young people injured by pellet guns in Vaughan

Police in York Region are warning of a “dangerous social media trend” called the “Orbeez Challenge” after two recent incidents involving gel pellet guns that injured young people in Vaughan.

Police said the “Orbeez Challenge” encourages to shoot people with water or gel beads, which “can cause serious injury when fired from an air-powered gun.”

“There is a trend going on in the United States and youth are watching these types of trends through TikTok and other social media platforms, so there is a concern that these ideas are being picked up,” Const. Maniva Armstrong said.

Police allege the first incident happened just after 6:30 p.m. on May 2. Police responded to a weapons call at a park in the area of Sunset Ridge and Kistler Street, near Major MacKenzie Drive and Islington Avenue.

After investigating, police said a male youth fired a gel pellet gun at a group of youths. Two of the youths received minor injuries.

The second alleged incident happened around 2:45 p.m. on May 4. Police said students were walking on Shawbridge Boulevard, near Kipling Avenue and Dundas Street West, when a male in a black Jeep fired a gel pellet gun at the students. One student was hit in the head and had minor injuries.

Police have since arrested the suspect and charged him with two counts of assault with a weapon. He cannot be identified under the provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

“We also want to make these youth and parents aware of the severity of using these type of things for means of, you know, hurting other people,” Const. Armstrong said.

Police warn that suspects will be charged with serious offences that include assault with a weapon.

Investigators said many replica firearms resemble real guns, and some of the air guns are painted to look like real firearms.

“This can create a huge police response, resources because they do simulate and may appear to the general public as a weapon,” Const. Armstrong said.

This is the latest in a string of incidents involving pellet guns in the GTA. In Toronto, police arrested three teens in connection with two separate pellet gun incidents at west-end schools on Monday. The victims in both incidents suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

Last week, Toronto police shot and killed a man who was carrying a pellet gun near a Scarborough school. Police say responding officers believed the man was armed with a deadly weapon but the pellet gun was later recovered at the scene. The SIU is investigating the incident.

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With files from Michael Ranger of CityNews