A community member in Boone County reported earlier this week that his son experienced an instance of “swatting” while playing video games online on Saturday, Dec. 23.
A community member posted that his son, who was playing video games on his Xbox, was playing with other players from across the nation before the authorities were contacted with the caller stating that the community member’s son was “off his meds, locked in the bathroom and had a gun.” According to the community member, the police were dispatched to the home.
The community member stated that his brother contacted him after hearing the call on the police scanner, and when he arrived home, the police officers were outside of the house with his son.
“Everyone was cool, cops believed him when he said our guns were locked up, no issues, and was just making some lunch,” the community member posted. “Very thankful for the fast response of the Lebanon Police Department and the Boone County Sheriff Department.”
“Swatting” was first utilized by the FBI to address the situations involving hoax calls that require immediate law enforcement reaction in 2008. The act became a fad amongst streamers and other individuals that play video games as a means of garnering a reaction, according to authorities. “Swatting” is defined as the act of calling in a false report of a crime or emergency that requires a response from local authorities, and the act typically involves an individual that the caller only knows through online gaming, reports say.
For more information regarding “swatting” and how to decrease the chances that a loved one will be targetted in the act, contact local authorities, such as the Boone County Sheriff’s Office at 765-482-1412 or the Lebanon Police Department at 765-482-8836.
No names will be released in connection to the incident to avoid the possibility of a repeat situation.