ARMED police swooped on a multi-storey car park after reports of people waving a gun around - only to find the youths were filming a rap video.
A worried shopper raised the alarm after the lift doors opened and he was confronted by a teenager on the roof of the the Grays car park holding a handgun.
He dialled 999 and firearms officers raced to the scene in Derby Road but it was discovered the gun was fake and the teens had been using it as a prop in the music video.
Keith Evans, manager of Grays Shopping centre, said there was no risk to the public but the car park was sealed off while the boys were given a stern talking to by police.
He said: “What they did was bloody silly. It caused a lot of disruption.
“The police were brilliant. They took the right precautions and diffused the whole thing very quickly. It was all over in a few minutes.”
Mr Evans said he was told one teenager would be up there taking some pictures.
He said: “A lad came in and asked to take some still photos from the top of the car park for his college coursework. He said he wanted to take some still shots of the view from the fifth floor for his studies. Nothing about making a video.
“I said ok, as long as you are only up there for a few minutes and you are going to behave yourself. The next thing we heard was the wail of sirens.”
A spokesman for Essex Police added: “Officers attended and established the gun was a replica.”
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