North Carolina police urge residents not to take ‘potshots’ at Chinese spy balloon

GASTONIA, N.C. — As a suspected spy balloon continues to float over the U.S., one police department in North Carolina is urging residents to use restraint -- and not try to shoot it down. >> Read more trending news“If the now infamous Chinese ‘weather balloon’ makes its way over Gastonia, please don’t call the police to report it,” the Gastonia Police Department wrote in a Facebook post on Friday. Projections show that the balloon could exit the U.S. east coast sometime Saturday morning near the Outer Banks of North Carolina, CNN reported. Lots of interest in suspected Chinese spy balloon. Forward trajectory based on atmospheric steering currents would bring it close to St. Louis tonight & into North Carolina Saturday.