PACIFIC BEACH, Calif. (CNS) — Four people in a vehicle from which someone allegedly fired a pellet gun at pedestrians in Pacific Beach Friday were taken into custody a short time later during a traffic stop near Crystal Pier.
The shootings around the 4300 block of Mission Boulevard reportedly were carried out by someone in black BMW shortly afternoon, according to the San Diego Police Department. There were no immediate reports of injuries, SDPD Officer David O'Brien said.
About five minutes later, officers pulled over a vehicle matching the description of the one involved in the alleged crimes and detained the driver and three passengers. Their identities and details on what charges they might face, if any, were not immediately available.
The shootings were believed to have been carried out with an airsoft-style gun, O'Brien said.
Other drive-by pellet-gun shootings have taken place in San Diego-area beach neighborhoods in recent weeks, according to messages on social media websites.
The self-described victims -- some of whom wrote of being struck by hard-plastic projectiles discharged by an occupant of a black BMW -- have speculated that the crimes may have been inspired by a TikTok "challenge" that has been linked to a rash of such shootings nationwide.
