15 year old Georgia gamer sends SWAT team to the homes of other gamers

[Demovictory9]

“I killed my mom and I got my two little sisters, they’re sleeping their room right now. And I’m fixing to go in and kill them all too. ..and kill myself,” according to the call to 911.

“We had 30 law enforcement officers show up on this call,” said Capt. Jay Baker.

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The SWAT team and other law enforcement went to the home, anticipating a confrontation. But then, someone came to the door.

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“Things weren’t adding up to what was described in the call and what was happening in the house and then we quickly realized it was a swatting call,” said Baker.

Investigators traced the bogus 911 call to a 15-year-old in Harlem, Georgia, on the outskirts of Augusta.

Police said the teen made the prank call following an online gaming clash with a teen in the Cherokee County home. He made the swatting calls to 911 centers in other states, apparently in relation to conflicts with other gamers.

Baker said there were also calls made in other states.

“Also made calls to North Carolina, Connecticut and Florida. Two of those calls actually resulted in the swat team kicking the door down,” said Baker.

The teen is facing several charges including a felony and making terroristic threats

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/teen-sends-swat-team-to-another-teen-s-home-over-gaming-conflict-told-police-gamer-killed-his-mom/ar-AAXguCz

Police suspect that the boy is also responsible for similar swatting calls in Windsor Lock, Connecticut; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Tampa, Florida, the release said.

SWAT teams responded to two of the calls and “made forced entry” into the homes, the release said. Police used a search warrant to seize the boy’s Sony PlayStation console, as well as two cellphones, the release said.

Police said they heard audio of the 15-year-old making a swatting call in a Sony PlayStation “party chat,” where players can speak to one another during games. “It is suspected the motivation behind the calls is related to online gaming disputes,” the sheriff’s office said in the news release.

Read more at: https://www.kansascity.com/news/nation-world/national/article261174617.html#storylink=cpy


https://www.kansascity.com/news/nation-world/national/article261174617.html

[CurtEastPoint]

1. that little snot needs psychiatric help and a TOTAL separation from the net. For a LONG time.

[AntivaxHunters]

2. This is called "Swatting"

and has been around for awhile now.

This is why people need to use VPN's.

[CurtEastPoint]

3. how would that have helped? He called the police on a phone.

[Demovictory9]

4. he would not have had the victim's addresses

[CurtEastPoint]

5. you mean IP addresses? And how would he get physical addresses? Educate me, please.

thanks!

[usonian]

10. Most IP addresses can be geolocated.

Using a cellular hot spot, stores would offer me to pick stuff up in Sacramento. With DSL, they offer pick up nearer. Regardless of cookies. I aggressively delete them with extensions. But most IP addresses locate you pretty well. Hence the VPN or tor.

Sometimes a suspect neighbor will earn you a door-busting SWAT. Assault first, check facts later.

And then there are stingrays and so on.

All providers sing like songbirds anyway.

[Shrek]

6. This happened here and a man was killed at his front door by the police

https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/kansas-gamer-pleads-guilty-role-fatal-swatting-case-84496912

[brooklynite]

7. Mimicking something he saw on an episode of "9-1-1"

[Hortensis]

8. They seized his PlayStation and cellphones so at least he's already hurting.

As for his poor parents...! They can expect civil suits on top of state and possibly federal charges ("terroristic threats&quot .

[CanonRay]

9. Juve jail until he's 18

and fine his parents enough to hurt. Psyc care as well.

[MotorCityBeard]

11. I worked Xbox customer support from 2010-12

None of this is surprising to me. While working, I had my life threatened, was called every name in the book, received sexual propositions, and was told I was damned to hell. All by teenage boys playing GAMES.

I feared for some of the female gamers I dealt with, a few I had to tell to report their harassment to the police. They would be viciously harassed for the unpardonable sin of kicking some teenage boy ass in a GAME.

They weren't all like that, though. I found that a lot of the pre-teens were among the most polite and respectful customers that I had to deal with. Hell, I even asked to talk to some of their parents, just to compliment them on raising such fine young men. I'd compliment the customer also, hoping that they would be the same considerate players when puberty hit.

I received a LOT of prank calls doing customer support but as far as I know, swatting wasn't a thing back then. I am not at all surprised, in this political climate, that it has escalated to this point.

[SWBTATTReg]

12. Kids who abuse the system should have every device taken away from them, games, phones,

etc., since they can't be trusted. Even the parent's phones, the phones of brothers and sisters, etc. shoud be banned from the premises. Although, I suspect that this won't work, they'll be work-arounds such as having a buddy get a burner phone for his buddy, etc. I'm glad that they charged the kid w/ a felony, making threats, but it doesn't go far enough to prevent this from happening again, it's too easy in this world of tech everywhere, and embedded in everything.