Swatting Prank In Pierce County Ties Up Police For Hours

PARKLAND, WA - A 15-year-old girl and a 21-year-old man were arrested Sunday night after allegedly fabricating a hostage situation as part of a "swatting" prank.

Police responded around 7 p.m. to an apartment complex in Parkland along the 12700 block of C Street on a report that a father was holding a young man and his 3 and 7-year-old siblings at gunpoint. Twenty-six police officers from around the county and Washington State Patrol arrived at the scene preparing for a showdown.

Police were able to trace the call from the apartment where the hostage situation was allegedly happening - but the trace led to a home 16 blocks from the apartment complex. The man who reported the situation to police told them the phone line could've been hacked by the armed father - and that's when police got suspicious.

When police went to the home the call was traced to, the 15-year-old girl admitted that she had helped fake the scenario. She and the 21-year-old were arrested on false reporting charges. The situation tied up police for about four hours.

A swatting prank turned deadly in early January. A California man called police on someone he was playing a video game with in Kansas. When police arrived at the Kansas man's home, they opened fire on him thinking he was armed.

Image via Shutterstock