What started out as a student movie project ended in an all-too-real encounter with local law enforcement on Thursday when a student was arrested for removing the safety tip from a replica handgun during an unauthorized film shoot on Little Dume Beach.
Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s deputies responded to a call around 10:30 a.m. on Thursday after witnesses reported seeing a man pointing a handgun at a female’s head in the Little Dume area.
As California State Park rangers, county helicopters and Sheriff’s deputies searched the bluffs in the area, they ultimately came upon a group of seven people, one of whom was filming a male pointing a gun at a female.Â
“An examination of the realistic-looking gun revealed it was a replica handgun with the orange plug tip removed. The orange tip was installed by the manufacturer to ensure people would know it was not real,” according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
The group told authorities they were filming a project for school but had not alerted law enforcement, obtained proper permitting or security and had not posted signs to warn about filming in progress.Â
An unidentified 20-year-old male film student from Valencia was taken into custody and charged with removing the fake gun’s safety tip, a misdemeanor under state law.