19-Year-Olds' Cap Gun Antics Frightened Grandchildren: Police

By Nick Swedberg, Community Editor

Two 19-year-old Oak Forest men who wanted to have some fun with a new cap gun ended up in trouble with the law.

The two men told Orland Park police they didn't intend to scare anyone and thought it was "harmless fun" when one of them got out of their Lincoln and pointed a fake gun at grandparents in the car behind them on Aug. 17.

Both pranksters were ticketed for causing a disturbance, police said.

Orland Park cops received a complaint about the fake gun incident about at about 8:24 p.m. at the intersection of Humphrey Drive and 143rd Street, police said. An older couple from Oak Lawn, who had their three grandchildren in the backseat, said the cap gun make a loud popping sound when the man pulled the trigger. The "gunman" then ran back to the Lincoln, which drove away. 

The grandchildren became frightened and feared that the men were out to get them, the Oak Lawn couple told police.

An officer found the Lincoln in the 7900 block of Teton Road and tracked down the registered owner, who said it was currently in her son's possession. Another officer came across the two men as they were walking down Teton Drive. One man admitted to firing off the cap gun while the other said he drove the Lincoln. At the same time, police searched the car and found a small amount of a substance that tested positive for marijuana.

The men were issued municipal violations for disorderly conduct. One also received a violation for possessing marijuana. 

Police report information is provided by the Orland Park Police Department and other law enforcement agencies. Charges are not evidence of guilt. They are a record of police actions taken on a given day, and persons charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. If you or a family member are charged or cited and the case is subsequently adjudicated, we encourage you to notify the editor. We will verify and report the outcome.