Andy Murray Autograph Seekers Arrested by Police Following Gun Scare in London

Four men allegedly looking to get Andy Murray's autograph were arrested in London after a bystander believed one of the men was carrying a gun while walking up to a car the tennis star was riding in.

According to the BBC, though, the group's intentions may not have been as nefarious:

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Police arrested four men suspected of brandishing a gun at tennis star Andy Murray but it has emerged they may have been autograph hunters carrying a tennis racquet.

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A Scotland Yard spokesman said they received a call at 17:00 on Wednesday to report a sighting of a man with a firearm in a Mercedes car in Avenue Road, Swiss Cottage.

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The spokesman said one line of inquiry being considered was that the men were carrying a tennis racquet.

He added: "A search of the car was conducted and no trace of a firearm was found."

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The BBC also reported the four men have been bailed and will face possible charges, if any, in January. You'd have to believe that nothing more will come of this, as the spokesman acknowledged that no evidence of a gun being present was found.

You can't heap too much blame on the citizen who called the police believing one of the men was carrying a gun. Although it's hard to mistake a tennis racket for a firearm, it would've been dark in London at the time, so the bystander couldn't have gotten a good look at what the man was carrying.

It's better to err on the side of caution rather than sit back and do nothing.

For athletes everywhere, this is a stark reminder of just how close they can come to encountering the wrong fan in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Tennis, especially, is no stranger to a fan going too far. Back in 1993, Monica Seles was stabbed on the court by an overzealous fan.

Murray can at least rest easy that his life doesn't appear to have been in grave danger on Wednesday. The men were simply looking for an autograph, albeit in the wrong way.