The stuff of nightmares has hit the streets of Bakersfield, where police say they're fielding reports from members of the public freaked out by clowns standing in public holding machetes and baseball bats. 
 
 One teen was arrested on suspicion of annoying a minor after taking the prank too far. Police say he dressed as a clown and chased other teens, albeit without a weapon, leaving one of them "visibly shaken." 
 
 The prankster allegedly admitted to copying the likeness of the "Wasco Clown" -- so named for the small San Joaquin Valley town -- although with one key difference. 
 
 Loading Where should I go tonight Bakersfield ¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿ Delano ¿¿¿¿ Wasco ¿¿¿¿ View on Instagram 
 
 In Wasco, the clown is apparently part of a husband and wife art project, photos of which have gone viral on social media. (A similar image went viral around the world in the form of the Northampton clown in Britain.) 
 
 In Bakersfield, police Sgt. Joseph Grubbs said police are taking the clown reports seriously because it could turn into something more dangerous. 
 
 As of mid-Friday, Bakersfield police had fielded 16 reports of clowns wielding weapons. 
 
 "We will make arrests on this," Grubs said. "We want this to stop." 
 
 For breaking news in California, follow @VeronicaRochaLA. She can be reached at veronica.rocha@latimes.com. 

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 Police say they have not been linked to any criminal activity 
 
 The murderous-looking clowns now have a cult following among locals who drive around in search for them 
 
 It's the dead of night on a chilly October evening. 
 
 You drive down a deserted street in Wasco, California — the isolation of it all sending shivers up your spine. 
 
 Then you see him: a white mask, unruly bright-red hair, eyes like black pools of death staring coldly at you. His yellow jumpsuit shines with light from the only lamp nearby, the multicolored balloons he holds floating lazily above his creepy face. 
 
 The murderous clown looks at you, swinging back and forth on his mechanic toy unicorn, a frightening smile frozen on his pale face. 
 
 Such has been the scene in this small town between Los Angeles and San Francisco, where since October 1 local residents have reported sightings of evil clowns roaming creepily down their streets. 
 
 Creepy clowns such as this one have been popping up around Wasco, California 
 
 What would you do if you were walking down the street and ran into one of these creepy masked men? 
 
 Some residents in Wasco follow social media to know when the next clown appearance will be so they can find these masked weirdos 
 
 Props and costumes change routinely, leading some to believe there is a menacing gang of bandits dressing up like the clowns from everyone's nightmares. 
 
 'I just seen him about three times already,' Anthony Garza, of Wasco, told KGET. 'But yeah—he's creepy.' 
 
 Some brave souls have stayed tuned to social media, where locals report any sightings of the clown—— then go out hunting for the devilish creature once he's spotted. 
 
 'Some of the residents go in cars searching for him,' Noah Sanchez told KGET. 'They have flashlights and try and spot him in neighborhoods after he posts to Twitter.' 
 
 Nobody really knows who the clowns are. Some people think it's one person, others say it's several. 
 
 'Yesterday they were saying there were two, then they were trying to say like seven, but I don't know,' Kevin Cabello told KGET. 
 
 Locals have mixed feelings about the clowns. 
 
 One child says he was chased down the street with an ax, KGET reports. 
 
 A deputy with the Kern County Sheriff's Office told the station that there have been reports of crimes committed in the neighborhood by people in clown costumes. 
 
 A mysterious clown stands near a home in Wasco, California, as the creepy trend spreads 
 
 Despite the bizarre clown sightings, local cops say they haven't been involved in any criminal activity 
 
 But so far, none of the clowns has been actually linked to any crimes. 
 
 'We have had no reports of any assaults by a clown nor have we any arrests of any clowns at any time I have been here and I have been here two years,' Sgt. Ian Chandler told KGET. 
 
 Despite creeping plenty of people out, the stunt strikes some locals — specially those searching for the clowns — as a big Halloween joke. 
 
 'It's kinda fun though to get us in the Halloween spirit and all of us in the community,' Sanchez told KGET. 
 
 Some residents in Wasco say the clowns are a great joke that is getting the town into the Halloween spirit 
 
 Some locals have turned the weird appearances into minor celebrities, chasing reported sightings all around town to take a picture with the clowns 
 
 One local Wasco resident, who requested anonymity, told KGET that he dressed up as the clown as part of a a year-long photography project with his wife. 
 
 He told the station he didn't 'expect to start a trend, and did not mean to cause any harm.' 
 
 The couple plans on posting more pictures on their social media accounts throughout October. 

 WASCO, CA. - Social media has taken an interest in a clown in Wasco who has been posting pictures of himself at local establishments, causing a stir with locals and comentors following the trend. 
 
 
 
 
 
 An interview with the Wasco clown, who requested to remain annonymous, revealed that the social media postings are part of a year-long photography project conducted by his wife. 
 
 
 
 
 
 The couple will be posting the pictures from their photoshoot every day this month. 
 
 
 
 
 
 There are now reports of copy cat clowns terrorzing streets but apparently nothing of a criminal nature, according to law enforcement. 
 
 
 
 
 
 "I am unaware of any crimes committed by clowns," said Sgt. Ian Chandler. "I am looking into it; it's my understanding there is a Twitter account and possibly a Facebook account in this. 
 
 
 
 
 
 "We have had no reports of any assaults by a clown nor have we any arrests of any clowns at any time I have been here and i have been here two years." 
 
 
 
 
 
 The photographed clown and his wife said they did not expect to start a trend, and did not mean to cause any harm. 
 
 
 
 
 
 They also said they do not condone any violence or social media accounts of the other halloween actors. 

 BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) - Police were called to another report of a clown sighting Saturday night, but patrol officers found nothing. 
 
 
 
 The report to police from a neighborhood near West High school is one of many unfounded reports that have been garnering national media attention. 
 
 
 
 The sightings started around the time people posted photos online of a clown making random appearances in Wasco. A Facebook page was later created, revealing the Wasco clown was the product of a photography project by a Wasco woman. The clown was actually the Wasco woman's husband. 
 
 
 
 In a response in a social media exchange Sunday, the "clown" said he has not chased anyone nor threatened anyone. Those actions, he said, are being undertaken by copycats. 
 
 
 
 Bakersfield police arrested a 14-year-old boy this past week. Investigators said the boy admitted to dressing up like a clown to scare school children in a neighborhood off Pacheco Road near Monitor Street. That boy wanted to perpetuate the rumors he'd seen in social media postings, police said. 
 
 
 
 Sunday, Bakersfield police Lt. Jason Matson said he had just finished a phone interview with a reporter from Reuters, who was asking about the clown. Reuters touts itself as the world's largest international multimedia news agency.
– For the past week or so, authorities in California's Central Valley have been fielding calls about clowns supposedly terrorizing locals. On Wednesday, a clown with orange hair was reportedly chasing people with a club, for example, but when sheriff's deputies responded, there was no evidence of a clown or of any victims. Now the Kern County Sheriff's Office says it thinks the calls are Halloween pranks—inspired by the "Wasco Clown," a person dressed as a clown, holding balloons, and standing in various locations throughout the San Joaquin Valley town of Wasco in pictures posted on a creepy Instagram account. The "Wasco Clown" soared to prominence after being written about on LA blogs, in newspapers, on Slate, and even on the Daily Mail, the Bakersfield Californian reports. Wasco locals reported seeing the clown around town beginning Oct. 1, and, as LAist notes, an urban legend was quickly born, with similar clowns popping up in nearby cities—reportedly often with weapons (ax, machete, bat, etc.) in hand. But the sheriff's office says none of the calls about armed clowns has actually been substantiated. At the nearby Bakersfield police department, which as of last week had received 16 reported sightings of its own, a sergeant theorized, "We may have people dressing up as clowns, and we get there and they're not there." One teen, who says he was inspired by the Wasco Clown, has been arrested for dressing up as an unarmed clown and scaring schoolkids, Bakersfield Now reports. As for the original Wasco Clown himself, he spoke anonymously to KGET and said the pictures are part of a photography project his wife is doing. (Last year, Britain saw a similar phenomenon.)