Ooops

You can't make this stuff up:

SAN RAFAEL, Calif. - Two men shooting pellet guns to scare birds from a vineyard found themselves in the middle of a full-blown police siege after a resident mistakenly reported seeing a sniper.

Police wielding automatic weapons and wearing flak jackets swarmed a residential neighborhood Tuesday near Terra Linda High School after a report that someone was crouching in the hills with a high-powered rifle.

Officers closed off a nearby street and ordered the high school to lock its doors.

Scott Doughty and Gary Volkerts, managers of Point Reyes Vineyards, were found lying on a hillside when police detained them at gunpoint.

Doughty said he feared for his safety.

"I think they went overboard," said Doughty. "It was pretty severe."

Police said the heavily armed response was appropriate and followed department procedure. No charges, however, were brought.

"We're relieved that it wasn't the real thing," said San Rafael police Sgt. Jonathan Bean. "We were under the assumption they were armed, based on the report."

Nice.