Hoax 911 Call to Pierce County Residence was 'Swatting' Incident Targeting Twitch Streamer

Peter Talbot / The News Tribune Puyallup police say a hoax 911 call brought them to the door of a residence Tuesday night after the caller told dispatchers he had shot someone and was planning to shoot himself. When dispatchers reached someone by phone who inside the home where the reported shooting had taken place, a woman said there hadn’t been any problems that night. But another fact came to mind that explained what happened. Her son is a streamer on Twitch, a livestreaming service that focuses on video games. Someone had recently accessed his account information, getting his address, phone number and credit card information. The residents had been a victim of “swatting,” a dangerous prank call where someone calls 911 to try to elicit a large armed police response to a particular address. The incidents often target high-profile internet users or video game streamers, but many others have been victims, including celebrities, tech executives, journalists and government officials. The Puyallup Police Department shared audio of the hoaxer calling 911, sounding distressed and stuttering. “I just shot her,” the 911 caller said. The dispatcher asked for an address several times, which he eventually gave. “Did you do this on…
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