Yellowknife (Sep 01/04) - A pair of Yellowknife teens were arrested at gunpoint Sunday afternoon after what police say was a juvenile prank turned into a tense standoff.

The teens were pulled over and surrounded by several officers who had their guns drawn. The arrests occurred in a residential neighbourhood behind Wal-Mart after police received a tip that some youths were pointing a firearm out the side window of a car.

"The whole time, an officer had their gun pointed at them," said Carey Tremblay, who witnessed the incident.

"They told the kids to 'Get out and keep your hands up,' or something to that effect," said Tremblay, who snapped several photos of the incident.

Once the teens were out of the car, they were told to lie on the ground, where they were handcuffed.

After the teens were taken into custody, police seized four pellet guns from the red Dodge Neon, three of which were rifles. The other was shaped like a handgun.

The car's 16-year-old passenger has been charged with mischief, possession of a weapon dangerous to the public peace and breach of probation.

Dangerous situation

The incident didn't sit well with RCMP Const. Kerri Riehl, who said the teens put themselves in danger by brandishing the weapons.

"They could have easily been mistaken for guns," said Riehl, who added police had no choice but to approach the car with their weapons drawn.

"We received a complaint about a firearm, so we have to effect a high-risk arrest," she said.

The pellet gun could also have seriously injured someone unfortunate enough to get in the way of its projectile, said Riehl.

"They are not toys," she said. "They can definitely do some damage."

Police said the pellet gun had been used to shoot signs near Giant Mine.

While the incident was relatively brief, it did raise eyebrows around the neighbourhood.

"I've never seen anything like that here," said Tremblay. "This is usually a quiet area."