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Friday, May 2, 2014

Criminal Justice Quote: "Swatting": A Dangerous Hoax

     If you can't beat them, call in the SWAT team? The SWAT team responded to a call from a teenager saying he had just killed his mom….When police arrived, the only guns around 17-year-old Rafael Castillo were of the video game variety….The video game was "Call of Duty."…Castillo, of Long Beach, New York, was playing the video game with an online opponent who called the SWAT team to his house after losing the game….

     Police say the vengeful player uncovered Castillo's address by tracking his IP and placing the fake call….The Long Beach police commissioner says this kind of prank call is becoming "a nationwide epidemic."…In the bizarre world of Swatting, the hoaxer earns points for the helicopter, for the police cars, for the SWAT team, and for the type of entry…..

     After the SWAT team charged the home, it didn't take long for the officers to realize it was a hoax. Castillo's mother told the officers, "My kid is home, he's on the computer. He doesn't know what happened."

     If investigators identify and track down the prankster, he or she could end up paying $100,000 for the emergency response….

Mikah Sargent, "'Call of Duty' Loser Calls SWAT Team on Opponent," acj.com, April 23, 2014

     

     

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