'Clown craze' creeps spook Perth teen into bolting 2.5km to safety
A teenage girl has was traumatised and spooked into running 2.5km when she was stalked and chased by men wearing clown masks.
The frightening ordeal was one of two dangerous stunts that occurred on Saturday night in Perth’s southern suburbs despite police warnings that taking part in the online clown craze could be a crime.
Frightened Rastana Baker couldn't see the faces of the three men who tormented her while she walked alone.
They were hidden behind clown masks.
“I didn't think I was going to live to see today,” the teen told 7 News on Sunday.
The 16-year-old is the latest victim of the online craze where people dress as clowns to scare strangers.
“This one specific car stopped behind me and that's when I knew something's not right,” she said.
The Shoalwater teenager was stalked along Eighty Road in Baldivis on Saturday night at about 7.15pm after she had jumped off the bus.
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“One of them actually tried to put their hand around me, but when they did I liked freaked out and moved and started running,” she said.
“He tried gripping onto me and that's when I knew I had to leave.”
The 16-year-old was on her way to meet her netball team. Rastana stayed on the phone to them while she ran for 2.5km to safety.
“Because it was so dark and because the road was so long I felt as though I was running forever,” she said.
Not far away in Mandurah, 18-year-old Shanae Wheelson was chased with a hammer in another clown prank.
“I thought I was going to die because he said some words to me – he said, ‘Say goodnight’, or something like that and chased after me,” she told 7 News.
Concerned police have warned these dangerous stunts are on their radar and are worried someone's going to get hurt.
They said earlier this month that by taking part in this craze you could be committing a crime and charged.
A 19-year-old Northam man has already gone to court in January over the craze where he pleaded guilty to possessing a disguise.
