Some fake rifles, suspicious behavior and the cover of night got three teenagers dressed in dark clothes in trouble after drawing the attention and fleeing from an off-duty Lafourche police officer.

On July 2, around 11:30 p.m., a Lafourche Sheriff’s Office sergeant, Todd Prevost, was working an off-duty detail at a bar in Galliano and checking the parking lot outside, when he saw three individuals in the distance coming from vacant buildings behind the parking lot, according to a press release from Officer Larry Weidel.

Lafourche police

Air rifles used by teens.

Sgt. Prevost said it appeared that the individual’s were utilizing the darkness from the tree line to hide, and the officer found the behavior suspicious, believing that a crime may have been committed or was about to happen.

Two of the three individual’s were wearing dark clothes, carrying what appeared to be assault rifles and have some sort of facial covering on.  The third individual was wearing camouflage pants, police said.

As Prevost approached the trio, the individuals fled and the officer called for backup, according to police.

A K-9 unit was called in and a search was conducted for the three individuals.  A subject, a 15-year-old male, was found by a deputy a few blocks away wearing camouflage pants, police said.

After police called his mother to the scene, the teenager gave police the name of another teenager that he was supposedly playing video games with that evening.

According to police reports, Lafourche police went to the house of a 14-year-old male, finding another a 14-year-old male sleeping over.  The boys admitted to leaving the house to shoot air soft rifles and fleeing when Sgt. Prevost approached.

The teenagers admitted to wearing dark clothes, gloves and goggles, police said, adding that the rifles were replicas of assault rifles.

Officers in the investigation commented on the potential dangers of using lifelike rifles under the cover of dark, adding that if one of the teenagers had pointed the rifle at Sgt. Prevost he might have mistakenly believed that it was real and drew his weapon and possibly fired.

One teenager was charged with resisting arrest and criminal mischief, and all three teenagers were charged with breaking curfew.