Five UW-Madison film students were fined $412 apiece Wednesday for disorderly conduct after an encounter with Madison Police atop the Overture Center Ramp, 318 W. Mifflin St., according to the Wisconsin State Journal.
According to a police statement, the department had received several reports of individuals with guns on top of the parking ramp. Though the guns the students were using were only facsimiles, they appeared to be real.
The statement said it was the students' obedience of the officers' commands that \saved what could have been a tragic incident.""
This is the second time in two weeks Madison Police responded to gun situations only to find out the guns were fake and being used in film or theater productions.
The statement urges those using fake guns during productions to alert police ahead of time and to follow proper procedures during filming.
