TikTokers are dropping buckets on the heads of unsuspecting shoppers – but the viral prank took a dangerous turn at a California Target

• A trend on TikTok features videos of people putting buckets or baskets on strangers' heads as they shop.
• One mother was a recent victim of the prank while she was at a Target in Tustin, California.
• Lana Clay-Monaghan says she lost consciousness after four middle-schoolers assaulted her.

Just as prank videos are a staple of social media, they are a headache for shoppers and retailers who are simply going about their days.

On TikTok, one trend garnering thousands of uploads and millions of views is the bucket "challenge," where would-be influencers put a bucket, shopping basket, or other container over the head of an unsuspecting person.

Last Sunday, the trend took a dangerous turn when police say a group of middle-schoolers assaulted Lana Clay-Monaghan, a mother of infant twins who was shopping alone for baby supplies at her local Target in Tustin, California.

According to the Tustin Police statement, the boys approached her from behind with a bucket they had picked up elsewhere in the store. Clay-Monaghan told Insider the object was more like a cloth-lined laundry hamper, which got stuck when she struggled to take it off, causing her to panic.

"I immediately felt something come over me — a human presence behind me," she told the local NBC affiliate. "I started screaming. It was really abrupt. It really scared me."

"When I turned around, it was a group of male individuals filming me. I know they were filming me because the (camera) light was on. They all had their phones and they were laughing," she added.

The rapidly changing lighting and panicked breathing were a recipe for triggering her epilepsy, Clay-Monaghan told Insider.

Police say Clay-Monaghan then fainted, and security footage shows the boys running out of the store. Paramedics were called in who took her to a local hospital.

"The safety of our guests and team members is Target's top priority. Our hearts go out to the victim of this incident, and we appreciate the efforts of our team members who provided immediate assistance," Target spokesperson Joe Unger said in a statement to Insider. "We take any form of harassment seriously and are working closely with the Tustin Police Department as they investigate."

Clay-Monaghan told Insider she and her family are waiting for identification of the boys who attacked her, and that she is still suffering from shock and neurological side effects.

She also said that she hasn't felt comfortable going out in public or shopping in the days since Sunday.

"This could happen to anyone," she said. "We need to teach our children that you don't know what people have gone through in their life, if they have health issues, and that's why you don't go around to non-consenting people in public to conduct a prank."