East Bay police warn about high school scavenger hunt involving illegal activities

ALAMEDA, Calif. (KGO) -- East Bay police are on alert, warning high school students not to play a dangerous game.

A scavenger hunt in the East Bay has police and parents on high alert. School officials put out a warning tonight.

Officials say a scavenger hunt involves juniors and seniors from many different high schools in Oakland Berkeley and Alameda. The object is to score points for filming themselves doing dangerous and illegal activities.

Students at Alameda High School heard about it and so did school officials who issued an email blast midday warning parents at four high school campuses here in Alameda.

"What we heard is it could involve drugs, drinking, sex and even potentially explosives and that's a very volatile combination," said Alameda Unified School District official Susan Davis.

The teens reportedly planned to drive around recording videos of themselves engaging in criminal activities and then posting them online as proof.

"Mugging people, I've heard and the cops were getting involved and teachers were telling kids to be careful about where they were walking," said one student.

"Clearly, this would pose a grave physical danger to our students but there's also damage to their online reputations and potential for college and career success," Davis said.

Alameda school officials say the scavenger hunt included St. Joseph's High School in Alameda along with other Catholic High Schools in Berkeley and Oakland.

"I'm just kind of scared and wondering, what they're going to do," said Demetrice Wilson, a parent.

The scavenger hunt was supposed to end Friday at 10:30 pm.

"I think it's a hoax. Let's hope it's a hoax," said another parent.

Many parents hoped it never happened at all.