Two teens charged for shooting water pellets from car
Two teenagers face charges in connection with shooting toy guns containing water beads from a vehicle at Burger King employees earlier this month.
Maddix Andrew Ganster, 18, of Claysville, is charged with several misdemeanors, including simple assault, reckless endangerment, propelling a missile into an occupied vehicle, and summary offenses of unlawful discharge of a paintball gun and harassment. A second suspect who was in the back seat of the vehicle is being charged as a juvenile, state police said.
State police filed charges Tuesday.
Dominque Willis, a manager at the Jefferson Avenue fast-food restaurant, said the incident occurred at about 9:30 p.m. April 15. Willis had been outside the drive-thru window picking up change from the ground and handing it to an employee through the window.
“She (the employee) saw the car come up slowly, and my back was turned,” Willis said, adding that she felt a sting shortly after.
She turned around and was shot in the eye, while more pellets went through the drive-thru window and struck the employee in the face and mouth.
Willis said the pellets left a stinging pain, but did not cause any other damage.
“I’m good. I just didn’t know what it was,” Willis said.
Willis said they found one of the pellets on the ground.
“It had a plasma kind of feel, and it evaporated instantly,” Willis said.
According to police, the two then went to the parking lot of Wild Things Park and shot at two people getting into a car.
Various police departments around the country have issued warnings about the “Orbeez Challenge” on the TikTok social media platform, which encourages shooting water pellets at unsuspecting victims. Orbeez is a brand of water pellet.
State police public information Officer Forrest Allison said Ganster denied getting the idea from TikTok.
A preliminary hearing has not been scheduled.