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ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) - An evening walk for a dinner date turned into a terrifying experience for Elizabeth Akers and her boyfriend.

Surveillance video captured around 8 p.m. Wednesday shows the couple walking towards Soulard Street as a dark vehicle slows down on Eighth Street parallel to the couple.

“There was a person hanging out the side of the car with a face mask,” Akers recalled. “He shot us both several times in our face and neck area obviously immediately we kind of ran.”

Akers said she was struck four times in the face, neck and ear area.

Akers and her partner believe they were shot at with an airsoft gun.

First Alert 4′s reported on several incidents recently involving toy guns. Weeks ago, Creve Coeur Police arrested a teen for shooting gel bullets in a movie theater.

A neighbor in Benton Park captured a similar incident on their security camera Monday afternoon.

Also on Monday, St. Louis Metropolitan Police found several juveniles in possession of gel blasters.

Neighbors and visitors find the trend unnerving.

“I think it’s stupid, I think you’re asking for trouble it might be fun to do it as a kid but somebody might take it as a serious threat,” said Brian Roberts, who is visiting from Elkhorn, Wisconsin. “You’re asking for possible return fire and I don’t think anybody wants that.”

“Honestly, I think it’s probably because they don’t think it’s that big of a deal because they’re not using bullets but if you get hit in the eye or face you could do damage,” said Josh Mathis of Moscow Mills. “That’s why you wear goggles when you play airsoft games, helmets, but you can’t really protect yourself when you don’t know that’s coming.”

Akers said she just wants those responsible for the shooting to stop.

“We definitely both understand kids messing around with things like that but targeting strangers who are unaware and unsuspecting is just so terrifying,” she said. “I think it’s so messed up and they have to understand how scary it is when that happens.”

First Alert 4 reached out to SLMPD multiple times Friday asking about the incident but has not heard back.

Recently, police have said if you are a victim of an incident, you should reach out to detectives.