Overkill, to say the least

Police in London, England dispatched eight squad cars filled with an armed response team to investigate a very serious offense at a bus stop.

A terror suspect? A bank robber?

Hardly. A man who used a toy space gun in an attempt to make a passerby's baby laugh.

"The man (who has not yet been named) allegedly, approached the baby and its mother with a "silver ray-gun", which lights up and makes a buzzing noise when the trigger is pulled. He pointed the toy at the baby and said, "Pow-pow!"

I've been guilty of trying to entertain little kids with toy props on numerous occasions. The parents usually quite enjoy seeing their children laugh and giggle at a man making silly faces and noises. I suppose those days are over for me now.

"Police seized the man's toy ray gun and arrested him on suspicion of possessing an imitation firearm in a public place." (Emphasis mine)

Cap guns probably get kids the death penalty over there in Sarah Brady's Paradise.

We can always count on England to set the bar ever lower for asinine official behavior, that's for sure.