Apparently this small yellow foam dart produced enough fear to file assault charges against the couple. (Photo credit: KMOV)
A prank at a fast food restaurant in the St. Louis suburb of Fenton Thursday has landed one couple in a bit of hot water after they pulled up to the drive-thru window and shot the restaurant worker with a foam dart from a Nerf gun.
Although the seemingly harmless joke did not actually injure anyone, police are still treating the matter very seriously.
According to local media, they drove through the drive-thru in a black SUV, but didn’t order any food. Instead, they pulled up to the window and simply shot the worker with the Nerf gun, striking her with a yellow foam dart before driving off.
The entire incident was caught on surveillance video and now 22-year-old Stephanie Winkler and 26-year-old Mark Applebaum are facing third-degree assault charges, a class C misdemeanor.
Although nobody was injured, and in fact the worker even seems a bit confused in the video as to what exactly the couple was doing as she watched them drive away, in the state of Missouri, a physical injury does not have to occur in order for assault charges to be filed. Just the mere present of fear is enough to incur third-degree assault charges.
“The Nerf dart strikes her. Nobody was injured in this case but if it hits an eye or something an injury could result from this,” said St. Louis County Police Officer Brian Schellman.
The video footage shows that Winkler was the one who pulled the trigger, but because Applebaum was the one driving the vehicle, he also faces assault charges.
Authorities have yet to determine a motive behind the alleged assault. The couple is due to appear in court April 14 and if convicted could face up to 15 days in jail and a $300 fine.
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