High school student arrested while playing ‘Senior Assassination’ at hospital

WEST JORDAN — A popular game among high school seniors resulted in one 18-year-old student being booked into jail Wednesday after police say he caused a panic at a local hospital.

The man was playing the “Senior Assassination” game. It’s a tradition at many high schools across the nation, including in Utah, where high school seniors traditionally use water guns to track down and “eliminate” other seniors in the days leading up to graduation.

On Wednesday, police were called to Jordan Valley Hospital, 3580 W. 9000 South, after witnesses reported “two young white males entered the hospital and asked if it was a hospital. The witnesses described one male as appearing to be a high school student who was holding what appeared to be a gun,” according to a police booking affidavit.

The two males then took off running. Hospital security called the police and asked whether they should lock down the hospital.

“Several officers established a perimeter around the hospital due to the seriousness of the call. Multiple officers were also searching the surrounding area. Several hospital visitors approached the officers, asking if it was safe to enter the hospital, as they were frightened,” the affidavit states.

Police then reviewed surveillance video from the hospital.

“In the video, I observed two white males running through the hospital doors. The suspect was seen pointing what appeared to be a gun at the other male,” the arresting officer wrote.

As both males exited the hospital, one of them dropped something. The arrest report does not indicate what was dropped, but a short time later, police made contact with the 18-year-old man.

“(He) confirmed that he was playing a game called ‘Senior Assassination.’ He explained that he was chasing his friend, ultimately leading to both inside the hospital doors. The suspect stated he had a Nerf gun, which he used to shoot his friend during the game,” according to the affidavit.

Due to the panic caused by the man’s actions and the police response that resulted from it, the man was arrested and booked into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of making a threat of terrorism.

This story may be updated.