911 Swatting Call Lures Police In Stafford: SCSO

STAFFORD, VA—Police responded in force to a 911 hostage call that would up being a so-called "swatting" hoax Wednesday night at a home on Burns Road, according to the Stafford County Sheriff's Office. A swatting call is a bogus report of people being in danger that's meant to provoke a SWAT response.

In this case, someone called 911 and claimed to have two hostages tied up at the residence. The caller said every hour he didn't received $20,000, he would harm the hostages. He then hung up and the call center lost all contact with him.

Police say they suspected it was a swatting call but nonetheless responded as if it were real. As such, shortly after 6 p.m., multiple units that included two K-9 teams went to the area and set up a perimeter. The homeowners quickly came to the door and cooperated with the investigation.

Image via Stafford County Sheriff's Office