PA Man Arrested In 'Swatting Prank' Investigation: Norwalk Police

NORWALK, CT — A Pennsylvania man accused of falsely reporting a gun incident incident involving his ex-girlfriend in Norwalk was arrested Thursday, according to police.

In a news release, Police Lt. Tomasz Podgorski said Norwalk police were contacted by the New York City Police Department the morning of March 17 after NYPD received a report of a woman being held at gunpoint at a home in Norwalk.

Officers responded to the area, established a perimeter and began to contact the residents, however the call was quickly determined to be a hoax, Podgorski said.

After further investigation, police determined the caller and ex-boyfriend of the woman, Maurice Smith, 39, of Philadelphia, initiated the swatting prank, according to Podgorski.

Police later obtained an arrest warrant for Smith, who turned himself in at police headquarters Thursday. He was charged with first-degree false incident report, risk of injury to a child and second-degree breach of peace.

His bond was set at $150,000 and he was scheduled to appear in court Thursday, Podgorski said.

According to Podgorski, swatting is a dangerous act that involves someone making a false report to emergency services to initiate a serious law enforcement response.

Anyone with information about these incidents is asked to contact the Norwalk Police Department, Podgorski said.