What's Next, a Trebuchet?

By Jocelyn Geboy in News on Nov 4, 2006 12:53AM

Go ahead and look it up if you're not familiar with this old school weapon. We didn't know what the name of this thing was until we saw good old Matt Roloff decide to up and build one on a manic whim on "Little People, Big World."

But people using medieval weapons for sport or fun is just the realm of reality TV, right? Nope. There were some blow gun attackers on the loose recently. And they are kind of cold-blooded. Sunday, there was a 12-year old boy hit in the face with a blow dart as he walked down an alley, and they allegedly struck two more times down in Oak Lawn.

Who were their targets? Volunteers collecting money for the Oak Lawn Fire Department's Boot Drive for Muscular Dystrophy. Jerry Lewis and Ed McMahon are going to be pissed, yo!

Seriously, though, Battalion Chief Mike Jensen and the 15-year-old volunteer they targeted a short while later both were hit by blow darts ranging from four to six inches* long. Jensen was actually pierced by the dart that hit him; the other didn't break the skin.

Chicago police worked with Oak Lawn officers to nab the suspects Sunday. When the three men were pulled over in a red Jeep, "officers observed a blow dart gun and numerous needle-tipped darts 'in plain view.'” All three were charged with weapons offenses and misdemeanor battery. It seems to us that shooting people with a blow dart gun should be a little more than a misdeameanor, but we're not that up on our medieval weapons and what trumps what.

*For the spatially challenged as ourselves, six inches is the same length as a dollar bill!

Image via Miss Hallie