Sightings of Armed Clowns Continue to Spook California Residents

Sightings of scary clowns armed with machetes or baseball bats continue, putting some California residents on edge.

But police said they hope the pranksters, or whoever is behind the scary phenomenon, are ready to retire their spooky costumes.

Bakersville resident Erica Kern told ABC News she drove past a clown in the passenger seat of another car on Monday after seeing reports of the masked jokesters terrorizing residents in her city and nearby Wasco.

Social media accounts using the name "Wasco Clown" claim to be linked to the pranks, but police said they were unaware of any connection. Instagram photos show scary clowns posing in different landmarks in Wasco, Delano and Bakersfield, and the snapshots include taunting captions like "come out and play" and "It's funny you guys think I got arrested."

Another Bakersfield resident, Cory Ferrier, told ABC News his mom sent him a text message to warn him about the clowns after seeing the Instagram photos on the news.

"I didn't really hear about it until my mom texted me to make sure I was OK," he said. "From what I saw, it just seems to be kids running around in clown costumes."