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Teens arrested in pellet gun attack

12:36 PM PDT on Wednesday, October 17, 2007

KING / KING5.com Staff

Girls hit with pellets

NORTH BEND, Wash. – Authorities are continuing to investigate whether there are more victims of a group of pellet gun wielding high school students. 

Four Mount Si High School students were arrested after two 15-year-old classmates claimed they were shot at after getting off a school bus Tuesday afternoon.   

Mount Si High School student Austin Anderson knows one of the suspected shooters. 

"They were shooting at one of their friends they shoot at a lot and missed," said Anderson.  "It got to be a huge thing that got blown out of proportion." 

But state and local authorities are not laughing.  They say four young men, all students at Mount Si High School, donned masks, piled into an SUV and opened fire with pellet guns Tuesday afternoon near Rattlesnake Lake.  Around 3:15 p.m., as the girls got off the best to walk home, they were shot by pellet guns, say Washington State Patrol.

The girls started screaming and ran to one of the girls' homes. Troopers say the suspects kept shooting at the girls as they followed them home.

KING

Two 15-year-old girls were shot by pellet guns as they got off their school bus from Mount Si High School.

The father of one of the girls happens to be a WSP trooper and former Navy SEAL. As the girls burst into the home, the father jumped into his patrol car and took off after the suspects.

"I couldn't think of a more horrifying experience than to be alerted by one of your children, that he or she has been shot or someone was shooting at them," said Trooper Jeff Merrill, Washington State Patrol.

They were finally cornered on a dead-end street near Rattlesnake Lake. The trooper held them at gunpoint until backup arrived.

The girls were both hit several times. Fortunately they only suffered minor injuries.

Troopers say the four juveniles, all of whom have criminal records and attend Mount Si High School, admitted to the shooting. One of them had been expelled and is currently on suspended status for bringing a weapon to school.

Several pellet guns were also recovered.

"The statements that they made to officers at the scene is that they though it would be fun to go out and shoot some people," said Merrill.

Police have already heard from several more victims of these guys and they believe even more victims will come forward.

Police are still gathering information in the case before they can forward it to prosecutors for any charging decision.

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