Popular assassin game startles Collingwood residences

A popular live-action “assassin” game turned into a potentially dangerous situation when police responded to reports of teens allegedly carrying firearms in broad daylight.

Collingwood and Blue Mountains Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) have concluded that both incidents were caused by youths playing a game with water guns called "Senior Assassin."

The police are also hoping to raise awareness among players and the public to try and prevent confusion between the game and real life threatening situations.

On April 24, OPP received a complaint that a group of teenagers in a white vehicle had visited an address on Kirby Ave in Collingwood and attempted to reach another teenager in a nearby residence.

Police were advised that one of the individuals was allegedly carrying a handgun. Multiple police units located the vehicle and the suspects were taken into custody before determining the firearm in question was a water gun.

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Four days later, the OPP responded to a complaint about a group of teenagers who were parked in a vehicle on Bush Street in Collingwood and were behaving suspiciously in front of a residence.

It was believed that they had firearms with them in the vehicle.

Several officers arrived at the scene and detained the teenagers while they conducted their investigation.

It was determined that the teens were using water guns and playing the Senior Assassin game.

The OPP is warning people of the dangers of playing a game where a toy gun is undistinguishable from a "real" firearm.