A 16 year old cosplayer in the UK was taken in by police after being mistaken for a criminal due to carrying an imitation firearm. Despite officers identifying that it’s a fake weapon, he’s still in custody.
He was cosplaying as Hunk, a mysterious, faceless character from Resident Evil who wears a gas mask. Most people who have played Resident Evil would have recognized the fictional Umbrella Corporation logo on his jacket as a dead giveaway that it’s a cosplay.
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However, onlookers were frightened by the cosplay and called the authorities, claiming that a man with a gun was walking toward a crowded area.
Authorities arrived and tackled him to the ground, taking him into custody.
UK police respond after cosplayer arrested
While his weapon is a model of the MP5 Hunk usually carries in his Resident Evil appearances, it has an orange tip at the end that’s standard fare for prop weapons to make sure mistakes like this don’t happen.
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However, it appears that wasn’t enough to distinguish him from an actual shooter, and police took him down regardless.
A 16-year-old in cosplay was arrested near Chelsea football stadium after being mistaken for a suspected shooter due to his imitation gun
It’s believed he was traveling to the London Anime & Gaming Con, taking place nearby pic.twitter.com/sR6AquRw05
— Dexerto (@Dexerto) August 30, 2025
“A 16-year-old boy remains in police custody after he was arrested on suspicion of possession of an imitation firearm,” a police spokesperson explained.
“The arrest occurred in Fulham Broadway at 14:41hrs on Saturday, 30 August after officers received information about a boy displaying a weapon and walking towards a crowded area. No one was injured in the incident.”
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So, what does the law actually say about the possession of an imitation firearm in the UK? It reads as follows:
“It is an offence to possess an imitation firearm in a public place unless the person can prove they have lawful authority or a reasonable excuse. It is also an offence to manufacture, import or sell a realistic imitation firearm, or to modify an imitation firearm so that it becomes a realistic imitation firearm. There are some exceptions, for example, weapons used in historical re-enactments, theatrical productions and film making,” the page reads.
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Additionally, it is illegal for anyone under the age of 18 to own or purchase a fake gun that’s intended to look real. They define an imitation firearm as “‘anything which has the appearance of being a firearm whether or not it is capable of discharging any shot, bullet, or other missile’”.
Bear in mind that things like BB guns are legal in the UK depending on their power, and that much of this is determined by how realistic the weapon looks. If it ends up being determined that the orange-tipped MP5 looks too realistic, charges could be filed.
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