Three men were arrested Tuesday night by San Bernardino County (Calif.) Sheriff's deputies after they reportedly staged a carjacking at a Hesperia In-N-Out hamburger restaurant, apparently in an effort to play a prank on their friend.

The joke gone wrong began shortly before 11 p.m. Tuesday, when a man standing inside the Bear Valley Road restaurant spotted his car speeding out of the parking lot, Hesperia Sheriff's Station spokeswoman Susan Rose told the Los Angeles Times . 

The man ran outside and found his friend on the ground, Rose said. The friend said a person had punched him and stolen the man's car. 

Deputies responded and gathered information about the vehicle and alleged suspect from the man and his two friends, broadcasting descriptions to other area stations, Rose said. A helicopter was brought in to help with the search, along with a dozen patrol units.

About 15 minutes later, a deputy was interviewing the man's two friends when "They divulged that it was an April Fools' joke," Rose said.

The search was called off, and the three friends behind the joke were taken into custody. Ashraf Drieas, 18, Drue Mendoza, 19, and Luis Garcia, 19, all of Victorville, were booked on suspicion of delaying or obstructing an officer and falsely reporting a crime.