Campus News - Spartan Daily

April 13, 2005

Prop gun draws police

Sgt. John Laws of the University Police Department said campus police received a call before 5 p.m. reporting that a group of young males were out in front of a house on South Seventh Street, and one of them was allegedly holding a gun.

"We were shooting a scene for our film class," said Ben Hsu, an SJSU student majoring in radio, television, film and theatre. "We had a fake gun - it was an Airsoft gun. And we were running lines outside on the stairwell, and I was holding the gun and I guess somebody saw it and called the cops."

Four police cruisers, including campus police as well as the San Jose Police Department, arrived on the scene, partially shutting down South Seventh Street. Once the officers were able to find safe positions of cover, they called for those inside to come out with their hands up.

"We were laughing because we thought they were here for somebody else. And then they started hiding behind trees, pointing their guns at this house," Hsu said.

Police searched, cuffed and detained eight people before three officers searched the house, finding a ninth person as well as the Airsoft pistol.

In addition to the film students, officers also detained Katrell Collier, a junior majoring in child development who lives next door.

"I came to look out the window because I had gotten a phone call from one of my boys telling me the police were outside my house," Collier said. "They told me to come out with my hands up."

The film students explained to the authorities what they had been doing. Once police were able to determine that the confiscated pistol was, in fact, a fake gun, they released Collier and the film students and returned the Airsoft gun. No citations were issued and the students were asked to be more careful with their props.

Laws said everyone whom the police detained was very cooperative.

"With all my friends out here, it was kind of embarrassing, but you've got to do what they say," Collier said.