GREENVILLE, Ohio (AP):  Police say they’ve received reports of individuals dressed as clowns chasing people in two western Ohio communities.

That means that in recent weeks, people in at least seven states have reported scary or suspicious encounters with people dressed like clowns.

The Dayton Daily News reports a 28-year-old man called Greenville police to report that two clowns chased him down a street early Tuesday in that Darke County city. Chief Dennis Butts says the man said the clowns hit him in the side and neck and stole a baseball bat from him.

Butts says police checked but found no clowns.

Closer to Dayton, police in Franklin say a woman there reported being chased by a clown.

Franklin police are discouraging people from scaring strangers, calling it childish and potentially dangerous behavior.