Police in Colorado Springs say a “swatting” attempt Monday night on a YouTube personality was thwarted in part because authorities expected it.
Officers were called out at about 7:30 p.m. to a home on the 4300 block of Golf Club Drive on reports that a man had just shot his mother and was holding his father tied up at rifle-point. Police say they responded and confirmed the call was unfounded.
“We’re aware of people trying to ‘SWAT’ the residence,” Lt. Catherine Buckley, a police spokeswoman, said Tuesday. “We’ve actually been in contact with this resident before.”
Buckley said officers were still sent to the home out of precaution and cleared the scene.
“This is a situation where the resident there knows there is this potential and we set guidelines with them ahead of time to address this if it happens,” she said.
Police did not release additional details on who the YouTube personality was. Swatting began as video game players making false reports to elicit a massive police response as jokes on one another and .
While swatting attempts in Colorado Springs aren’t common, Buckley said when they do happen they come in “spats.”
“Obviously it’s a concern,” she said.
Jesse Paul: 303-954-1733, jpaul@denverpost.com or twitter.com/JesseAPaul
