The Gastonia Police Department in North Carolina is asking residents not to call the police if they see the suspected spy balloon – and to refrain from taking potshots at it.
“If the now infamous Chinese ‘weather balloon’ makes its way over Gastonia, please don’t call the police to report it,” the department wrote on Facebook.
Police also reminded residents that they, “don’t have the capability to respond to an altitude of 60k feet to check it out,” and "we are pretty sure the Feds would want us to stay out of it.”
The department ended the post by urging residents to “please don’t take pot shots at it with your handguns in an attempt to bring it down on your own.”