What was originally believed to be a potential active shooter situation in downtown San Diego, California last week turned out to be a young man and woman using a rifle-shaped bong to smoke weed.
According to the San Diego Union Tribune, local police began receiving a number of frantic phone calls about a gun barrel being pointed out of a third story window in the Palms Hotel. Responding with urgency, cops quickly shut down trolley service around the hotel and began evacuating the area.
But when a SWAT team entered the hotel and located the room, they didn’t find a manifesto, a stash of ammo, or any weapons at all. Instead, they found a gold-colored bong shaped to look like an AR-15 rifle. Along with the suspiciously-shaped water pipe were a man and woman who clarified that they had not been threatening the sun-soaked SoCal city, and had instead been, well, smoking weed out the window.
Whether it was an ill-advised prank or just a way to avoid stinking up their hotel room, police weren’t buying the excuse and took both of the room’s occupants into custody. After a sufficiently buzz-killing interview with the duo, police released the woman, and arrested the man on a misdemeanor count of “exhibiting a replica firearm in a threatening manner.”
Police did not say whether or not the bong was confiscated or returned to the couple.
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