A prank gone wrong landed two men in jail and has potentially scarred a little girl for life.
At about 10 p.m. local time on Saturday, 25-year-old Vernon Barrett was wearing a clown mask and chasing his 6-year-old daughter outside their apartment in Boardman, Ohio, according to Youngstown's WKBN-TV.
According to witnesses, the girl, obviously terrified, was screaming and ran into the unlocked apartment of neighbor Dion Santiago, 48.
According to WFMJ-TV, Santiago told police that when the girl ran in to his apartment, he looked out the window and saw a man in a clown mask on the lawn. Santiago then grabbed his gun and fired a warning shot out the window.
When police arrived at the scene, Barrett told them he was "playing a prank" on his daughter, according to WFMJ.
WKBN reported that Barrett told officers he was trying to scare the girl because she'd been having behavioral issues at school and he thought this would straighten her out.
Barrett was arrested for child endangering and inducing panic. Santiago, who admitted to police that he'd had a few beers, was arrested for using a gun while intoxicated.
Clint Davis is a reporter for the Scripps National Desk. Follow him on Twitter @MrClintDavis. Keep up to date with the latest news by following @ScrippsNational on Twitter.
