Idaho Teen Arrested for Shooting City Worker with Airsoft Gun

SANDPOINT, Idaho (AP) — A northern Idaho teen has been arrested on suspicion of aggravated assault after police say he shot an Airsoft pellet gun at a Sandpoint city worker. The Bonner County Daily Bee reports the 17-year-old was arrested Tuesday after police responded to a report of gunshots.

Police Chief Corey Coon says the high school student was riding in a pickup with friends when they mistook the worker for a sports coach and fired the plastic pellets as a prank. The style of air gun that police say the teen used typically poses little safety risk but can leave welts at close range or cause eye damage.

Airsoft guns look like traditional weapons though they are sold with an orange tip intended to identify them as a pellet gun.