Assault rifle scare near school in Edmonds



EDMONDS, Wash. -- Police rushed to a store parking lot in Edmonds on Wednesday after getting report of someone with an assault rifle.

The callers said a group of young men were waving the rifle around in the parking lot of a 7-Eleven convenience store on 212th street.

One reason police were concerned is because this is right across the street from Edmonds-Woodway High School.

Multiple officers raced to the scene and found the men milling around the car. Police drew their weapons and confronted them, and found a black BB gun that looks like an assault rifle.

It was clear why people thought it was real and immediately called the cops.

"This is an example of really poor judgement on their part... with all the schools shootings that've been going on nationwide, as you can imagine everybody is hyper-vigilant to this sort of activity," said Sgt. Shane Hawley of the Edmonds Police Department. "So to see that across the street from a school definitely raised some eyebrows."

It is not illegal to have a BB gun in public, but Sgt. Hawley says you can expect police officers to contact you.