Parkland teen activist David Hogg was the victim of a terrifying “SWATting” attack early Tuesday. Broward County Sheriffs descended on the Hogg family’s home in Florida after receiving a hoax phone call claiming Hogg was being held at gunpoint by a stranger.
According to local media, the Broward County Sheriffs received a call at around 8:30 a.m. Tuesday morning, “saying someone broke into Hogg’s home with an AR-15 rifle and was holding the family hostage.” The law enforcement agency responded immediately.
BSO SWAT team at David Hogg’s house in Parkland after a hoax call that family was being held hostage.. again hoax swatting call #MSDstrong #neveragain pic.twitter.com/JriKE8nOQX
— jeff weinsier (@jweinsier) June 5, 2018
Law enforcement sources report that no one was home at the time, and no one was hurt in the SWATting attack, but SWAT teams still searched the home and the surrounding area and put several local schools on lockdown.
Hogg and his family are reportedly in Washington, D.C., where he is to receive an award for his activism.
“SWATting” is a terrifying practice that has emerged in the last several years in which a subject makes a hoax phone call to police suggesting that someone inside the home of a political or personal enemy is being held at gunpoint or is threatening violent behavior. SWATting has actually resulted in death; two men are currently facing involuntary manslaughter charges in Kansas after calling law enforcement to report someone they’d gotten into an argument with while playing the video game, Call of Duty.
The Broward County Sheriffs say they are investigating this morning’s hoax call.
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