A father and son spent the night in jail Wednesday for brandishing what looked to be a lethal weapon.

Sgt. Richard Nagler told KHTS that around 6:30 p.m., the sheriff’s station received reports that two men in a car were waving around a gun, clearly visible to motorists in the cars around them.

Kenneth Shields, 53, and his son, Jacob, 18, were in a vehicle near Valencia Boulevard and Magic Mountain Parkway and were observed with what looked like a Baretta automatic pistol, causing deputies to pull them over and take them into custody.

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The pistol turned out to be an Airsoft pellet gun, but Nagler said that the required red barrel plug had been removed or painted over, causing observers to think the gun was real and fearing for their lives.

The elder Shields was booked on suspicion of displaying an imitation firearm and the younger Shields for being under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance. Both were booked into the Santa Clarita Valley sheriff’s station, where they remain in custody in lieu of $25,000 and $10,000 bail, respectively.