What started out as a joke for a group of Beaverton pre-teens turned into a major police operation and the scare of a lifetime Friday afternoon.

Rodger Klingsporn

Police take reports of people pointing shotguns at cars pretty seriously.

Washington County Sheriff's Deputies shut down Tualatin Valley Highway on Friday after someone called 911 to report a group of teens was pointing a shotgun out the window of an SUV at cars around 4:00 p.m.

Sergeant Dave Thompson with the Sheriff's Office said deputies caught up to the car, shut down the highway and ordered everyone inside out.

Rodger Klingsporn

With guns drawn, the deputies demanded all six people out with their hands up.

Five of those people were under age 13. An adult mom was also ordered out.

After cuffing everyone, deputies searched the car only to find a toy shotgun.

Rodger Klingsporn

Turns out the kids had been playing around with the realistic looking toy. To the person driving behind them though, that toy looked like the real deal.

After it was all over, the group of was let off with a warning.

The mother in the car told KGW she saw the boys playing with the gun and made them put it away. Apparently, she said, it was a little too late.