Windsor Locks Police Seek To Arrest Georgia Teen In "Swatting" Case

WINDSOR LOCKS, CT — Police are seeking the arrest of a 15-year-old boy from Cherokee County, Georgia in connection with a "swatting" call received in March from a South Elm Street address, in which the caller claimed he had killed his mother and was threatening to kill others.

A lengthy investigation by detectives revealed a number of calls targeting residents in Connecticut, Georgia and Florida were related to insults traded during sessions of the video game Call of Duty. The teenager was recently arrested on criminal charges in his home state, Lt. Paul Cherniack said.

On March 19 at 4:05 a.m., Windsor Locks police received a call from the South Elm Street address, with a male saying he killed his mother and would kill his two sisters and any officers that may approach, Cherniack said.

Officers became suspicious after a check on the address revealed the name of possible occupants, and the caller mispronounced the resident’s name. Based on the information provided by the caller and the potential threat to more innocent people, a regional emergency response team and hostage negotiators were activated. Local police and members of the tactical team surveilled the location from nearby, watching for activity that would lend itself to clarifying the situation. Although no movement was seen, the incident continued to unfold under the cover of darkness, Cherniack said.

Officers and dispatchers worked extensively to track the phone number and identify the caller. The number was electronically manipulated to show a phone number of a person in the home, but was not the actual number the call was coming in from. Eventually, negotiators were able to reach someone inside the home by phone, and after much dialogue, it was determined the residents were believed to be safe and the call a "swatting incident," Cherniack said.

The residents were given instructions to open the door and safely exit the home to meet tactical team members stationed outside. Once this was safely done, the home was cleared by tactical team members and determined safe. No victims were found, and no sign of criminal activity was observed, Cherniack said.

All parties inside the residence were cooperative and identified, and the incident was confirmed as "swatting." After an extensive investigation into electronic analysis of phone numbers involved, it was determined that the call occurred from Georgia to Windsor Locks, according to Cherniack.

The incident remains under investigation.

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