Police Called To Reports Of Man With Gun Near Chelan Dam
Police were called to defuse a possible threat near the Chelan Dam on Thursday (Oct. 12) afternoon.
Deputies with the Chelan County Sheriff's Office were sent to the area at around 4:45 p.m. after receiving reports of a man who was brandishing a handgun.
Sheriff's Sgt. Jason Mathews says the man was quickly located and contacted by deputies who discovered the firearm was innocuous.
"Ultimately, our deputies found out that it was a father and son who were both playing with Airsoft guns."
Airsoft guns are similar to BB guns and shoot non-lethal, spherical plastic projectiles at a much lower velocity than traditional firearms.
Nevertheless, Sgt. Mathews says it isn't a good idea for anyone to be playing with them in public.
"Airsoft guns are very realistic looking and when we roll up on a scene and see one, especially from a distance, we can't tell if it's an Airsoft gun or a real one. So we treat the situation as if they are a real firearm until we learn that they are not. Being out in public view with replica or Airsoft firearms is not in the best interest of anyone, especially in the world we are living in today."
The reports prompted the sports fields at a nearby park to be temporarily evacuated.
The father and son were also found to be trespassing on property belonging to the Chelan County Public Utility District and Mathews says the incident serves as a reminder that all of the land below and around the dam is off limits to the public.
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