A nightclub drive-by shooting sparked an armed police response only for officers to find two men with gel blaster toy gun.
Firearms cops were scrambled to the venue after they received the chilling reports.
Witnesses said two people had a firearm and were shooting into a crowd.
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Two members of staff were hit.
Mohammed Waheed and Cameron Ismail, both 20, were in a Vauxhall Corsa when they used the gel blaster to fire them at revellers outside the nightclub.
They hit one member of door staff in the back of the head and another in the face.
It happened outside the Red Room, in Broadway, Peterborough, as reported by Need To Know.
Bouncers alerted CCTV operators who monitored the vehicle as it drove out of town until police caught up with it in nearby Dogsthorpe.
The pair were arrested and a gel blaster gun was seized from inside the car.
Gel blasters are similar to airsoft or paintball guns.
The gel balls break upon impact, causing minimal pain, making them suitable for lighter, casual gameplay.
Waheed and Ismail, of Millfield, appeared at Peterborough Crown Court on Tuesday (17 Jun).
They were each ordered to carry out 80 hours of unpaid work after previously pleading guilty to two counts of common assault.
Sgt Lee Lombardo, who investigated, said: “I want to highlight the seriousness of this case which, from their appearance in court, it was clear the two defendants were quite naïve about their actions being criminal.
“Firearms officers were deployed to this incident which was reported as two people having a potential firearm and shooting pellets into a crowd of people.
“Thankfully no one was seriously injured, although one shot narrowly missed one victim’s eye which could have caused him life-changing injuries.
“I hope this action serves as a warning that what may seem a bit of ‘fun’, can result in criminal convictions.”
It happened on 14 July, 2023, but took near two years to come to court.
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