Unsuspecting outdoor diners in Bellingham fall victim to the latest ‘Orbeez Challenge,’ cops say
A carload of teens peppered customers dining outdoors in Bellingham with gel beads last weekend in an apparent social media prank that police warn could end badly.
It’s part of the “Orbeez Challenge” that’s popular on TikTok, where an unsuspecting victim is pummeled with gel beads fired from a toy gun such as an Airsoft.
“While this challenge seems to be fairly innocent in its nature, it can have devastating effects for those hit with the Orbeez, especially if they were to be hit in the face or eyes, or if a young child is hit,” police Lt. Claudia Murphy told The Bellingham Herald in a text message.
“We’ve already had one instance where someone took the Orbeez challenge for a real assault, and then chased down the children driving the car. Shooting a projectile, even a water-filled gel, from a moving vehicle, or as one walks by houses, is both reckless and dangerous,” she said.
Police have received complaints over the past year from more than a dozen residents who were hit with the gel balls, Murphy said, including:
▪ A shoplifting suspect at TJ Maxx made a getaway from the Meridian Street store on Sunday after shooting a store employee with Orbeez gels. He was later arrested trying to cross the U.S.-Canada border in a stolen car.
▪ A group of kids shot at a friend’s house with Orbeez on April 15, but an adult chased them in a car. “Officers thought they were investigating a road rage until it became clear this all started with the Orbeez being fired as a prank,” Murphy said. No one was arrested.
▪ Two teenage men were arrested on suspicion of fourth-degree assault and reckless endangerment after they shot several people with Orbeez in the 900 block of North Garden Street on Oct. 16, 2022.
▪ A driver and passenger of a car were struck in their faces (one near the eye) in the 400 block of East Holly Street on July 10, 2022. Murphy said a 20-year-old man from Pullman was arrested on suspicion of fourth-degree assault.
At least one other Bellingham resident has reported a similar attack, Juliana Larson of the Lettered Streets neighborhood. She said someone drove by honking about 11:30 p.m. on June 13, and shot something at their window.
“The screen softened the impact to the window. It just startled my daughter and annoyed me,” Larson told The Herald in a social media message.
In the incidents reported last weekend, police are looking for suspects described as “juveniles” in a blue BMW with a sunroof. They fired at bar and restaurant patrons in Old Town and near downtown.
Police have enough probable cause to arrest them for fourth-degree assault, an online report said.
What are Orbeez?
Orbeez are gelatinous beads that are marketed as a sensory toy for children.
An “Orbeez Challenge” on TikTok involves shooting people with Orbeez loaded into a toy gun.
A juvenile offender convicted of fourth-degree assault would be subject to a psychological evaluation but likely wouldn’t face time in juvenile detention, according to Washington state law.
But more serious charges, if victims were injured, could require juvenile detention.
This story was originally published June 21, 2023 at 4:00 PM.
