ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Three people dressed as clowns were taken into custody Sunday after being found with a possible firearm, Albuquerque police said.
Police spokesman Simon Drobik said officers were dispatched to a call about a "clown sighting" near a kids' clothing store.
Authorities located three juveniles donning clown masks.
Drobik said they were also in possession of what appeared to be a handgun.
The investigation was ongoing.
It's not clear what charges the three could face.
The incident comes amid a rash of hoaxes and threats of scary clown sightings across the nation.
Police in Alamogordo have identified three boys who allegedly haunted a middle school dressed with a clown mask.
Roswell police have urged residents not to dress up as clowns after reports surfaced of clowns with bats walking around the city.