High school rivalries are not uncommon, but it appears some students take them too seriously, as is the case between two groups in Houston, Texas. What started as a high school prank between rival Houston schools has now landed six teenagers in jail, and their “paintball war” is being called a felony crime spree after they waged it all over Houston neighborhoods, eventually even weaponizing fireworks and smoke grenades.
The “street war” specifically took place in Houston’s Wilchester West neighborhood on Monday night and further continued throughout the week. According to Harris County Precinct 5 Constable Terry Allbritton, the teens were arrested after allegedly firing paintball guns at homes and setting off fireworks in the west Houston neighborhood. The incident has since caused property damage along Pebblebrook Drive and Perthshire Road.
In the video captured by neighborhood cameras, you can see teenagers shooting their paintball guns at houses– even those that might have been unrelated to their high school rivalry. Another student can also be seen colliding with an SUV, presumably a getaway vehicle for one of the groups.
Deputies then tracked down the suspects after receiving a vehicle description from witnesses. Inside the car, investigators found paintball guns, smoke grenades, and fireworks, pointing to evidence that the so-called “prank” had gone well beyond harmless fun. Meanwhile, the six teenagers who were arrested are as follows: Cash Porter, 18; Pierce Aspinall, 18; Noah Abbassian, 17; Ryan Waggoner, 17; Alexander Michael Ramirez, 17; and Jonathan Casey Hopkins Crenshaw, 17.
“I’ve lived here my whole life, and I’ve seen it get worse each year,” alleged one local. Meanwhile, another local has condemned the teenagers, “These kids aren’t mature enough to understand the consequences of their actions,” and thinks the arrests are justified.
People online think the students went too far
Now, despite their ages, the students were all charged as adults with felony criminal mischief. Still, some were released on personal recognizance bonds, while others remain in custody. Authorities and witnesses further claimed that the stunts appear linked to an ongoing rivalry between Memorial High School and Stratford High School, which has reportedly escalated from friendly pranks to dangerous acts over the past few weeks.
It’s not clear yet just how this affects the enrollment status of the teenagers, but people online were figuratively shaking their heads at the impulsiveness of the teenagers. “On senior cut day it was traditional for our classmates go around and toilet paper houses…. we also had a scavenger lists. Stealing stop signs and other rubbish around town. Kids will always be kids but it sounds like they went too far,” thinks one X user.
Some, however, think the criminal mischief is a little bit light as a punishment, because there was too much collateral damage for many homeowners. “It should be more than criminal mischief, I heard that windows were broken. That could have hurt someone if they were close by, and it leaves that house vulnerable to robbery, animals entering, or damage if it were to rain,” claims a supposed local.
