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Swatting call shocks Orlando resident when armed officers arrive
One Orlando man got a big shock when law enforcement showed up to his home thinking a violent situation was happening.
ORLANDO, Fla. - Authorities say a call came into the Windermere Police Department and was then patched to Winter Garden police. But, it was Orlando police who went through the gates of an Orlando complex to respond to a reported shooting because it was their jurisdiction. It turned out to be a fake call, which startled a resident.
"They knocked on the door."
Omar Shalaby says around 10 police officers showed up at this home unannounced.
"They had guns pointed at me, but saw that I had my hands up."
Omar was wearing his pajamas when it happened.
"They checked the house. There was no weapons."
Police say they discovered this was a case of swatting, which is a fake call.
Omar says, "Once they realized that they unhandcuffed me, had me sit down. They tried to relax me."
Arms Room Radio host Mike Piwowarski explains what swatting is, "Where the police are going to bring out their maximum precautionary firepower and assets to potentially quell a potentially violent situation."
But in reality, there's nothing wrong. "It could be very dangerous."
He says an unsuspecting homeowner could answer the door with a gun, not knowing they’re about to confront law enforcement.
"It’s a life and death situation in these swatting calls."
Omar says, "It did stress me out, but I understand they had to take it seriously."
Authorities are trying to track down who made the calls. Omar hopes they're caught.
"I think maybe someone was trying to swat someone else and they got the wrong address. We just moved here recently."
Authorities say the caller could be charged with misuse of the 911 system and also be fined for the expense of police being called out.