Bel Air Swatting Call Drew 'Massive Police Presence'

BEL AIR, MD — A false report drew law enforcement to a Bel Air neighborhood on Memorial Day. Officials said that they were called about a potential hostage situation involving a firearm.

At 11:10 p.m. Monday, a 911 caller said he shot his wife in the head in the 900 block of Richwood Road, according to the daily call logs from the Harford County Sheriff's Office.

The result was a "massive police presence" near the Seasons at Bel Air apartment complex that a Bel Air Patch reader described as "one of the larger call-outs I've seen."

Despite the report of an assault with a firearm and possible hostages inside the residence, authorities said they found an empty apartment, with all residents safe.

The call was classified as a case of "swatting," or faking an emergency that would merit a SWAT team response.

"Thank you to the residents in the Richwood Road area of Bel Air for your patience and cooperation," the Harford County Sheriff's Office said in a statement afterward. "We apologize for any disruption, but sincerely thank you for your time and patience as we moved cautiously to ensure the safety of all."

While authorities do not always provide information about each case of swatting, they said they decided to do so in this instance because of "the number of deputies and tactical vehicles on scene, the duration of the incident, and the number of people displaced during the incident."

Swatting is considered a crime that has caused serious injuries — and in at least one case death — to unsuspecting victims whose homes are targeted.

Last year a 19-year-old Ohio resident was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for a swatting incident that resulted in the death of a 20-year-old Kansas man. Authorities had been led to believe the Kansas man shot his own father and had hostages inside so when he came out of his house and made a movement on his porch, he was shot and killed by police, officials said.

The FBI estimates there are 400 swatting incidents each year. In addition to endangering innocent people, these cases cost police departments substantial amounts of money.

In 2018 a Baltimore County man was sentenced to two years in prison after a swatting call he made in Howard County resulted in a man being injured and requiring reconstructive surgeries. Police shot the victim with pellets when officers were called to handle a false report of a hostage situation. Howard County police said the incident cost the department $10,000.