False Alarm of Shooting in Moses Lake Leads to SWAT Operation Sunday

Moses Lake Police and Grant County Sheriff's deployed SWAT after a false report of a shooting early Sunday morning.

Get our free mobile app

Grant County Sheriff's Office Spokesperson Kyle Foreman says Moses Lake Police and deputies surrounded a home around 12:15 a.m. in the 1000 block of Lowry Drive. While officers checked the home, a 16-year-old told deputies he had been inside the home playing online video games when another player said they were going to call the police.

Authorities checked the home next door as well and found no signs of a crime.

This practice, called "swatting," often happens in the online gaming community when one online player is upset with another player and calls the police. Foreman says this is a major inconvenience for law enforcement.

"Swatting draws emergency resources away from the ability to respond to other emergencies," Foreman said. "It creates a big problem for people who are really in need of the police."

Foreman says they will continue to investigate to see if they can find out who made the call, but these situations are often unsolved because of the way callers spoof phone numbers.

"In many cases, the swatting is done by people who have sophisticated means to manipulate their electronics," Foreman said. "They can also use technology to hide where the phone call is coming from so it's not like the old days where we can trace a phone number."

Foreman did not name a suspect in this case.