A pair of blundering pranksters were arrested by police brandishing machine guns after their joke backfired.
Adam Cheal, 20, and Adam Hills, 21, drove around the streets of Burgess Hill with part of a pressure washer sticking out of their car window like a rifle.
As they toured the town Hills turned the car engine on and off, forcing it to backfire.
Terrified pedestrians phoned 999 after thinking they were being shot at by a drive-by sniper.
Armed officers raced to the town centre just after 5.30pm on June 26 expecting to be confronted by a gunman.
Instead police marksmen found Hills, of Sycamore Drive, Burgess Hill, and Cheal,of Chanctonbury Road, Burgess Hill, sitting in their car nearby calmly eating fish and chips.
Judge Charles Kemp has now told the duo they face a jail sentence for the stunt after they admitted a charge of affray by putting people in fear of their personal safety.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here