Student rolls car trying to ‘assassinate’ target with a squirt gun, Illinois cops say
A high school student was involved in a rollover car accident while playing a tag-style game involving squirt guns that is growing in popularity, Illinois police said.
The April 11 crash was caused by two students playing “senior assassin,” a game where students are given the name of another student and must “’assassinate’ them with a squirt gun,” Itasca police said in a Facebook post.
The drivers of both vehicles were actively playing the game at the time of the incident, with one driver losing control and rolling their vehicle, police said.
No one involved was seriously injured, and all parties were ticketed, according to police.
Itasca is about a 30-mile drive northwest from Chicago.
What is “Senior Assassin”?
“Senior Assassin” is an annual springtime tradition for students, particularly high school seniors, according to authorities.
The objective of the game is to “assassinate” or eliminate other players by tagging them with a water gun and be the last one remaining. Rules may vary by location.
“Players attempt to locate their opponents at various sites including home, local parks, and other gathering spaces within the community, according to the Arlington Heights Police Department.
“Students will often hide in odd spots, chase targets through yards and appear suddenly in a vehicle or on foot.”
Potentially “deadly consequences”
Police departments around Illinois issued warnings earlier this month about the potential risks and “deadly consequences” of the game, especially the potential for bystanders to mistake the game in action for real-life threats.
“Yesterday, a group of high school students from a neighboring community entered a local restaurant wearing ski masks and displaying water guns resembling firearms,” the Gurnee Police Department said in a Facebook post April 10.
“An adult, who was a concealed carry holder, in the restaurant mistook the situation for a genuine threat, and the situation could have escalated quickly,” the department said.
In Bartlett, local police have been responding to 911 calls of suspicious vehicles, individuals wearing masks and “lurking around their neighbor’s homes,” and brandishing “realistic-looking handguns,” the village said in an April 10 Facebook post.
The game is not against the law but could result in disorderly conduct charges, according to police.
Some school districts across the country, like Midland Public Schools in Michigan, are handing out automatic suspensions and revoking privileges like prom and walking at graduation for any student caught participating in “Senior Assassin” on school grounds.
This story was originally published April 12, 2024 at 2:54 PM with the headline "Student rolls car trying to ‘assassinate’ target with a squirt gun, Illinois cops say."
