Two Jewish men have been attacked in a random paintball shooting in Stamford Hill, north London.
CCTV footage appears to show a man leaning out of the back window of silver car and takes aim at two men standing on a corner with a BB gun.
The victims, believing the gun to be real, ducked for cover as the VW sped away from the scene in Hurstdene Gardens.
Shomrim, a volunteer neighbourhood watch force, are appealing for witnesses to come forward after the attack at 2.15am on Sunday.
They tweeted the footage criticising the police’s slow response and claiming “outrage and fear” were spreading throughout the community.
Police said the shooting was being treated as a hate crime and suspects aged between 17 and 21 had denied the attack.
The latest shooting comes after another similar attack targeting Jewish people in the north London neighbourhood on Friday March 17.
Gelballs from an Orbeez B-B gun, which are legal in the UK, were recovered from the scene.
Although Orbeez are soft, when shot at a high-speed they are able to induce pain and injury.
The Metropolitan Police said: “Police were called to a report of men firing a BB gun out of a car window on Hurstdene Gardens, N15.
“Officers attended and found the suspect car blocked into the street.
“They spoke to the occupants, aged between 17 and 21, who denied the offences. A toy-gun, used to fire water pellets, was found in the vehicle.
“Officers spoke to a large group of people who had gathered and took their accounts. A similar offence was also reported to have taken place in the same area the previous weekend.
“An investigation is ongoing.”
Hackney Neighbourhoods Superintendent Andy Port said: “This was clearly a distressing incident for those involved and it is being treated as a hate crime.
“Extra neighbourhood patrols are taking place in order to reassure those who live in the area and to prevent any similar offences.
“We continue to work hard to understand and confront hate criminality in all its wide manifestations.”
Police in Florida have warned about a dangerous social media trend called the ‘Orbeez Challenge’ that encourages shooting strangers with Orbeez water beads.
A spokesman said: “These beads can cause serious injury when fired from an air-powered gun.
“In many instances, these air guns are painted to resemble real functioning firearms.”
