Police say a toy gun, missing its orange tip, led to a downtown stop

GRAND RAPIDS — A report of a handgun among a group of about 10 juveniles at Rapid Central Station on Sunday night ended with a realistic toy gun that was missing its orange tip, police said. No one was injured.

MLive’s Monday story, quoting the Grand Rapids police, says officers were called about 7:45 p.m. Sunday to the station on Cesar E. Chavez Avenue at Bartlett Street SW. The report was that a person in the group was showing a handgun. Police said the group started moving west, away from the bus station, as officers arrived. The juveniles were not cooperative at first, and more units were called because of the high risk of a possible handgun. Officers detained the group and found the toy.

Deputy Chief Mike Maycroft said in a statement that officers explained why a toy gun without the orange markings is dangerous: it can be mistaken for a real weapon, which is what happened. He said the response fit the situation, that de-escalation resolved it, and that there were no injuries and no threats to the public. Parents were contacted and told what happened.

What was not in the account

The story that was read does not give names, ages, or a charge. None are added here. It does not say the toy was fired, or that a real gun was also found. The only weapon described is the toy without the orange tip. “About 10” is the department’s count of the group, not a booking list. The location is the bus station, not a school and not Van Andel Arena.

Maycroft’s point is the marking. Toy guns generally have orange tips so they can be told from real guns, the account says, and this one did not. That is why a brandished-gun call drew a large response and why the deputy chief called the response appropriate. The photograph is the arena downtown. It does not show the station, the group, or the toy. The call was about 7:45 p.m. Sunday. The corner is Cesar E. Chavez Avenue at Bartlett Street SW. The group moved west. More officers came because a handgun was the report. The item recovered was a toy without an orange tip. Parents were called. No injuries were reported. The account does not list a ticket or a charge, so this story does not add one. The orange tip is the fact Maycroft emphasized.

Sources:
MLive, John Tunison, “Realistic looking toy gun behind police detaining juveniles near downtown Grand Rapids,” Nov. 9, 2026, https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/2026/11/realistic-looking-toy-gun-behind-police-detaining-juveniles-near-downtown-grand-rapids.html
Photo: WMrapids, “Van Andel Arena 2021.jpg”, Wikimedia Commons, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AVan_Andel_Arena_2021.jpg

Grand Rapids

Tags: Grand Rapids · Police · Downtown