South Bay Mailman Shot With Pellet Gun In 'Orbeez Challenge': Police

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA — A Mountain View mailman was the target of the “Orbeez challenge” on Monday afternoon when he was shot with a pellet gun by a teenager, according to the Mountain View Police Department.

The mailman wasn’t hurt during the incident, which took place in the 2000 block of Jardin Drive around 2:30 p.m. The “Orbeez challenge” is a TikTok challenge that encourages people to shoot soft gel Orbeez balls at unsuspecting passersby.

Similar incidents have taken place in Marin, according to police.

The teenager, a 16-year-old, was cited for battery and felony reckless evading and released to his parents. He drove up next to the mailman, rolled down his window and shot at the mailman, according to police.

Officers arrested the teen after forming a perimeter and observing a vehicle and driver matching the suspect description speeding through residential neighborhoods in Mountain View and Los Altos.

Officers quickly formed a perimeter and a short while later, a vehicle and a driver matching the suspect description drove away from one of our marked patrol units at a high rate of speed and drove recklessly through a residential neighborhood in both Mountain View and Los Altos. The car was subsequently located and the driver detained.

“This type of behavior is not acceptable and can cause serious injury to others,” the city wrote in a news release. “These kinds of trends are harmful to everyone and should not be encouraged. People can and do get hurt, or worse.”