In WASHINGTON — “Senior Assassin” has gained popularity as an off-campus game often organized by high school seniors. Participants are tasked with “eliminating” their targets using water guns, with the ultimate aim of being the last one standing. However, this seemingly innocent fun is raising concerns among law enforcement.

The escalating situation has led to the arrest of numerous teenagers, prompting warnings from police departments nationwide. The Yorktown Police Department in Indiana emphasized in a social media statement, “No game justifies endangering lives, causing alarm, or creating public distress. We encourage our seniors to celebrate their final school year safely and responsibly.”

This advisory follows incidents in states such as Texas, Indiana, and Louisiana, where teens have been apprehended. In Texas, police responded to a call on April 3 at approximately 10:30 p.m., reporting a group of individuals appearing to chase each other with what looked like firearms in a parking lot, as per KCEN’s report.

The warning came after teens were arrested in Texas, Indiana, Louisiana. 

In Texas, police detained eight teens after being called around 10:30 p.m. April 3 to a parking lot where the caller said “multiple people were chasing each other through a parking lot with what appeared to be firearms,” KCEN reported. 

While police later released those teenagers, the Kenner Police Department in Louisiana said it arrested six teenagers April 4 and charged them with criminal mischief, WWL reported. 

Police said some teens were playing the hide-and-seek type game by hiding under vehicles in a driveway around 11:30 p.m. while wearing hoodies and face coverings. A 911 call came in from the homeowner who said she feared for her safety. 

Her son came to the home and shot his gun four to five times into the grass as warning shots, police said. The teenagers ran away and were later caught and arrested. 

“This could have ended in a tragedy. It would be easy to understand how a resident or a law enforcement officer would feel they were under siege and open fire,” said Kenner Police Chief Keith Conley. 

Other departments are warning kids playing the game to “use good judgment, respect private property, avoid unsafe behavior near roads and parking lots, and remember that what feels funny to friends may look alarming to others.”