Madison police responded to calls Monday evening from concerned citizens reporting masked men walking around a residential neighborhood with handguns early Monday evening.

When police arrived at the scene, they found two 12-year-old boys carrying BB guns altered to appear as real firearms.

According to the police report, when officers arrived at the scene on Hob Street and Camden Road, they confronted the suspects at gunpoint. The suspects then dropped their weapons.

The boys had painted the ends of the BB guns black, so the defining orange tip could not be seen.

Madison police spokesperson Joel DeSpain said situations like this can be dangerous for the suspects.

“When officers arrive in scenes like this, they have a couple of seconds to figure out what they are being faced with and make a quick decision,” DeSpain said. “So whenever you are responding to a scene like this, the officers will have their guns out. If one of these young people even points the fake gun at the officer, it could lead to tragic outcomes.”

Both of the suspects were cited with unlawful possession of fake firearms and released to a parent or guardian.