From Mirror staff reports

An Altoona man and two teenagers face dozens of charges after shooting at several people, including children, with toy orb shooters on March 19 at Bellwood Community Park.

An unnamed juvenile is also accused in the case.

According to the internet, orb shooters are a gel-ball gun or airsoft gun that can shoot gel beads.

Jonathan Hollen, 26, of Altoona; Malachi Canady, 18, of Duncansville; and Lashai Hill, 18, of Altoona; are accused of shooting nine people at the park. Police said several children had welts on their bodies and one was hit in the eye by the gel pellets.

According to court documents, the suspects are accused of shooting from a car, then got out and shot at people close-range. The car reportedly left the parking lot at a high rate of speed, police said, stating that Hollen was the alleged driver.

Canady and Hill face 74 charges each — nine misdemeanor counts each of simple assault, recklessly endangering another person, propulsion of missiles onto roadways and disorderly conduct hazardous/physical offense; one misdemeanor count each of simple assault of a victim under 12 and endangering the welfare of children.

The charges also include nine summary offenses each of unlawful discharge of paintball gun or paintball marker, individual may not carry paintball gun or marker in vehicle, harassment and intentionally defacing property.

Hollen faces 76 charges — nine misdemeanor counts each of simple assault, recklessly endangering another person, propulsion of missiles onto roadways and disorderly conduct hazardous/physical offense; one misdemeanor count each of simple assault of a victim under 12 and endangering the welfare of children; nine summary charges each of unlawful discharge of paintball gun or paintball marker, individual may not carry paintball gun or marker in vehicle, harassment and intentionally defacing property; and a summary count each of careless driving and reckless driving.

All three were arraigned Wednesday by Magisterial District Judge Fred Miller and were each released on $20,000 unsecured bail.

Preliminary hearings are scheduled for April 5.

Orb shooters, gel blasters or water bead guns that use gel beads as “ammunition” have been causing concerns across the country, with authorities from the Carolinas and Georgia to Wyoming, California and Utah issuing warnings about the guns that can resemble a real-life deadly weapon.

The “shootings” appear to be a new social media trend on TikTok, various police departments are reporting.

Myrtle Beach police posted a message on Facebook saying they are aware of ongoing incidents “involving juveniles and replica guns loaded with Orbeez.”

“Parents, please be aware that these closely resemble firearms and a simple prank could easily turn into a deadly situation,” the post said. “Even though this is not considered a deadly weapon, firing Orbeez at individuals is a crime and individuals can be held responsible.”

Police said people are getting hurt in the “Orbeez Challenge.”

According to an older post on the Laramie, Wyoming, Police Department Facebook page, the guns are “capable of inflicting injury” and discharging one “in city limits, for any age” would result in a fine of up to $750.

In December, a Florida middle school student was charged with a felony for allegedly shooting a young girl with a toy blaster.

While there are various brands of gel beads, Orbeez appears to be the most popular, according to an internet search of police department notices. Spin Master, the maker of Orbeez, advertises “The Orbeez Challenge playset” as being perfect for shooting the next best TikTok, but the company does not sell toy guns to fire the beads. Instead, it said the soft beads are designed for educational, creative and sensory play and are not intended to be used as projectiles or inserted in mechanisms.