Authorities have evacuated the Loma Linda University Medical Center Children's Hospital in California, citing a 'possible armed individual.'
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Dozens of police and law enforcement vehicles descended on the Loma Linda University Medical Center on Wednesday evening at around 6 PM. Per the Daily Mail, multiple agencies, including the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Office, surrounded the Medical Centre. The Sheriff's Office advised people to avoid the area and use alternative routes via a post on
Facebook.In another post, police stressed that pedestrians should avoid the area 'due to heavy law enforcement' presence. They also explained that law enforcement was clearing the Loma Linda Hospital.
Just two hours later, at 8:10 PM, the San Bernadino County Sheriff's Department
posted again, revealing the 'armed individual' was a hoax.'Loma Linda Hospital has been cleared. There are no reported injuries, and the incident appears to be a swatting call. The area will reopen shortly. Thank you for your patience and cooperation.'
Per 911.gov, 'Swatting' is a false report to police or emergency services in the hopes of sending a swat team to a location where no emergency exists. Sadly, this is all too common in the gaming and streaming space.
Swatting And Reports Of Armed Gunmen Are Becoming A Big Problem In The USA
In an interview with ABC News, Supervisory Special FBI Agent Brian Leblanc explains the severity of Swatting. The interviewer asks Leblanc why law enforcement, and the FBI in particular, didn't want to talk about incidents like this. Leblanc replied, "Because we're concerned about the copycat effect." He explained that the situation "has reached that level of being a crisis level."
When asked about the reasons why someone may 'Swat,' Leblanc explained, "In some cases, they are actually being paid to do this. In some cases, it's revenge, and that's really where Swatting came from, the gaming community. Individuals were playing each other in first-person shooter games, and they wanted to take out their opponent, so they would call in a Swatting to their house."
Leblanc also explains that most people who call in a Swatting are between ages 12-17. The FBI reportedly investigates thousands of similar calls each year.
