Oceanside

Oceanside police responding to a holdup report Sunday night said they were surprised to find that a woman was using a toy gun to hold her captive.

But without cooperation from the victim, officials say they will have a difficult time charging the woman with any crime, because Oceanside law does not prohibit the use (or misuse) of fake weapons.

About 10 p.m. Sunday night, a citizen flagged down two Oceanside police officers to report a woman pointing a gun at another woman in the area of First and Pacific streets, police said. The officers said they found a fake six-inch, chrome-plated Smith & Wesson-style handgun tucked in the suspect’s waistband.

According to a police report, the revolver looked so real that the responding officers said they “would have no reservations about using their own handguns” if confronted by the toy gun.

The victim chose not to file charges against her assailant, who was released pending further investigation. Police say the two women may have known each other before the incident, but doubt the toy gun was being used as a practical joke.

Oceanside law does not address the use of toy handguns, but there are state and county laws against using an object in an offensive manner, said Oceanside police spokesman Tom Bussey. The Oceanside city attorney’s office is investigating.