This is Surrey --A TOY gun sparked a major police alert in a residential street.
Armed police units descended on The Drive in Horley late on Friday night after residents reported seeing a youth with a gun.
As the police helicopter circled overhead, officers apprehended the suspect – and discovered his weapon was a plastic toy.
The alert was sparked shortly after 10pm when a resident reported five youths, aged between 15 and 17 years old, walking up and down the street "generally being a nuisance".
A resident told police one of the youths pulled a gun from his trousers.
"One of the youths was seen to draw what was described as a handgun from his jogging trousers," said Neighbourhood Sergeant Dan Gutierrez.
"No threats were made to anybody or to any premises.
"He is described as having pointed [the gun] up the road and then put it back in his trousers."
The perceived threat triggered a full police response, with the air support unit locating the offending youths and guiding ground officers to them.
Sgt Gutierrez said: "The five youths were detained and a children's toy plastic gun with no working parts was discovered. The youths were taken home to their parents and given suitable words of advice."
Other residents along the road noticed the disturbance.
One man, who asked not to be named, said: "We noticed the helicopter hovering overhead with its spotlights shining down.
"We had no idea what was going on." Reported by This is 2 hours ago.