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Two children were walking in the area of Main Street and Broad Street in Groveland when a car slowed down and its passenger shot what appeared to be a splatter ball gun at the pair on Saturday, July 15, according to the Groveland Police Department.
Both children were bruised as a result of the assault.
The passenger, a Groveland 17-year-old, was identified by police after a preliminary investigation.
He was charged with assault and battery and issued a summons to appear in Lawrence Juvenile Court on Tuesday, August 2.
The driver of the vehicle, who is believed to be a juvenile from New Hampshire, has not yet been positively identified.
A similar, but unrelated, incident occurred two days after the drive-by splatter ball gun shooting.
A juvenile from Dracut shot pellets at pedestrians in the area of Main Street and Elm Park in Groveland on Saturday, June 17, police say. The juvenile was charged and no one was injured.
Groveland police say they believe the incidents are related to a social media trend.
“It’s troubling to think it’s considered acceptable to scare and potentially hurt someone just to get attention on social media,” Chief Jeffrey Gillen said. “We ask parents to be aware of what their children are doing, and ask the public to contact us any time they see behavior they think is suspicious.”
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