VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — The so-called “Orbeez Challenge” has led to the arrest of another Volusia County teen.
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Deputies say they charged a 17-year-old New Smyrna Beach High School student with a felony after he shot a school employee in the face with one of the toy guns from his car Monday afternoon.
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Deputies say the employee, a campus advisor, was hit in the face several times with the gel beads and had to blow one from her nose, but was otherwise uninjured.
HEADS UP: The Orbeez Challenge can get you in trouble. Multiple agencies have had reports of people hit by gel beads fired from toy blaster guns.
— Volusia Sheriff (@VolusiaSheriff) March 16, 2022
Recently, deputies arrested a 19-year-old who shot an Amazon driver in @CityofDeltona. He was hit in his glasses & neck while driving. pic.twitter.com/RI6GQvElVz
According to the sheriff’s office, when deputies interviewed the student about the incident the next day, he told them he’d gotten the toy gun over spring break and was just “horse-playing” with it.
Deputies say he told them he recorded a Snapchat video of him shooting at the employee.
The student was charged with felony battery on a school employee.
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Just last week, the sheriff’s office arrested four more teens after multiple “Orbeez Challenge” incidents were reported throughout the county.
In one case, deputies said a 19-year-old Enterprise man shot multiple random people with Orbeez, including a 10-year-old child and an Amazon delivery driver who was out on his route.
**WARNING** The latest Juvenile/Spring Break prank involves children loading replica guns with "ORBEEZ" gel beads and...
Posted by New Smyrna Beach Police Department on Tuesday, March 15, 2022
Before that, two more people at a park in Deltona reported being hit by pellets fired from a van that took off after the shooting.
An 18-year-old man and two more 17-year-olds were charged with battery in that case.
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The Port Orange Police Department is also investigating an incident in which a woman pushing a stroller was targeted in a random drive-by Orbeez shooting.
The sheriff’s office says they’re trying to warn people that they’re actively working to identify and arrest people participating in the challenge.
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