Teen flashes replica gun, ends up in handcuffs

A prank involving an Airsoft replica gun backfired on a 17-year-old Roseville boy Monday when he was stopped by police in the parking lot at Woodcreek High School, ordered to the ground and then handcuffed.
The incident occurred shortly after 3:30 p.m. when an off-duty officer for the California Highway Patrol spotted a young man driving a Saturn sedan stop at a traffic light on Trailee Drive and Woodcreek Oaks Boulevard, said police spokeswoman Dee Dee Gunther.
The off-duty officer said the driver pointed what appeared to be a pistol at the car behind him and then fire a shot at it, Gunther said.
The Saturn continued and the CHP officer followed it, keeping a Roseville police dispatcher aware of its movements by use of a cell phone, Gunther said.
When the Saturn pulled into the high school parking lot, police vehicles swarmed into the lot and two 17-year-old occupants of the Saturn were ordered to the ground, where they were handcuffed, she said.
A search of their vehicle yielded the Airsoft replica gun, she said. The Saturn's driver was cited for brandishing an imitation firearm, she said. The other boy was not cited.
Because of the Veterans Day holiday, school was not in session Monday, Gunther said.
However, she urged students not to be playing with guns in public, even if they are imitation weapons.
"This is yet another example of why it is extremely foolish and dangerous to play around with replica firearms in public," she said. "If a prankster pointed a replica firearm at a police officer or another person armed with a real firearm, the results could be tragic."