Jul 18, 2016 2 min read

The Canonsburg police chief said a potential catastrophe was averted after his officers recovered four airsoft pellet handguns from teenagers that looked like actual weapons because the colored tips were removed from the barrels.

Police were called to a home in the 100 block of Smith Street about 8 a.m. Sunday by a woman who went to check on her 17-year-old granddaughter staying at the residence alone while her parents were on vacation. The grandmother entered the house and saw a black man asleep on a couch and a handgun on a table next to the couch. She left the house and her husband entered, quietly picking up the pistol and taking it outside without waking the person sleeping on the couch.

Borough police, along with officers from North Strabane, arrived. They found eight teenagers in the home. In addition to the weapon found on the table, they found a 16-year-old Canonsburg boy with three airsoft handguns in his backpack.

“It could have been catastrophic given the climate of what is going on in this country,” Chief Al Coghill said Monday. “You have to wonder why they have airsoft guns that look exactly like handguns in their backpacks.”

“If any of those guns were pointed at an officer, there is no doubt that officer would have to draw their weapon,” he added. “These guns need to be kept in a controlled situation and control where it is carried.”

Coghill said the red or orange markings on the tip of airsoft guns indicate it is a pellet-type weapon. If removed they look like real weapons.

The mother of the 16-year-old told police she did not want the weapons in her home and asked officers to destroy the guns. The fourth gun also will be disposed of by officers.

Several of the teens also admitted that were drinking vodka.

Two 17-year-old Canonsburg girls inside the home were taken into custody on juvenile probation violations. They were taken to the Jefferson County (Ohio) Juvenile Detention Center. The other teens were released to parents or guardians.