A sad trend is taking place right now and spread via the internet that other people are starting to copy in other parts of the world. Called “Creepy Clown Spotting” these are pranks played by people on others wearing creepy clown masks and holding some weapon prop to scare them off.

Many of these pranks have already been put on YouTube and just kike the scary clowns seen in horror movies are having an effect on people:

But some people rather than be scared, are starting to fight back with people shooting the pranksters, finding them not funny at all. Police have admonished citizens not to shoot them, especially those who do not have weapons. In one case, a man in a clown costume was shot in the head in Newark, New Jersey.

For three teens in Albuquerque, New Mexico, they were lucky they were not shot and killed by the Police in the area as they tried to pull of  a creepy clown prank near the Babies R Us store. Responding police were called by citizens thinking it was a robbery in progress and they gave chase to the three teens and tried to escape from the police and cross the I-40.

The teens, two 13 year olds and one 14 year old were detained by the police and found to be high on marijuana in a report by KOB 4. The police said they were following the Creepy Clown Spotting trend, but they dropped charges as they did not raise the airsoft gun, which is a replica Beretta Pistol, at the police and had no intention of pulling off a robbery.

Indeed, they were fortunate that responding police did not quickly draw and shoot them when they were seen to be with the airsoft gun. But the police have warned that those who are doing the Creepy Crown Prank on the public with weapons, replica or not, will elicit a police respond that may just result into injury or death for them.