Sword wielded by teens in Modesto turns out to be toy

MODESTO -- Modesto police apprehended a teenager wielding a sword Tuesday in a park where two weeks ago a young man was stabbed to death.

The sword turned out to be a plastic Nerf toy and the boy was released with a stern warning.

Police were dispatched to Creekwood Park about 1:30 p.m. when an employee at next-door Bernard Hughes Elementary School called to say he saw a man using a sword to hack at the bushes.

Officers responded to the park and apprehended the 17-year-old suspect at gunpoint. Upon further investigation, they found that the sword he was using was plastic.

After advising him of the potential danger of his actions, Armendariz said the boy was released.

Last month, 18-year-old Tylor Crippen was stabbed to death during an apparent robbery attempt while he was walking in Creekwood Park with his girlfriend. Three teenagers have been arrested and charged with his murder.

Since then, police have beefed up patrols in the area, neighbors are spending more time there to combat what they interpret as a gang problem and private security was hired by the Empire Union School District to patrol Hughes Elementary.