Air pistols fired in downtown Rotorua

Two men and two youths who used air pistols for target practice in downtown Rotorua on Saturday were oblivious to the panic they provoked.

Sergeant Brent Crowe said the four were taking pot shots at a paper cup propped in a small tree in the median strip on Pukaki St.

Standing on the footpath, the would-be marksmen punctured the cup several times but also "peppered a few buildings", he said.

To passing traffic and pedestrians in the central business district at 10am, the gas-powered imitation Glock pistols looked like the real thing.

Two men aged 30 and 26 will appear in the Rotorua District Court today on counts of discharging an air gun in a public place. Two juveniles have been referred to the police youth aid section.