(COLDWATER) - A reported shooting and carjacking that prompted a large emergency response in Coldwater earlier this week has been confirmed as a "swatting" hoax, according to The Coldwater Daily Reporter.
Coldwater Police say a 911 call placed just before 4 p.m. Monday claimed the caller had been shot and carjacked along North Willowbrook Road. Officers, firefighters and paramedics rushed to the scene but found no victim, no vehicle and no evidence of a crime.
Public Safety Director Joe Scheid said the false report is part of a growing and dangerous pattern in which individuals place fake emergency calls to trigger law enforcement responses, often while watching or livestreaming the activity through public web cameras.
This was the city's 20th reported swatting incident in the past two years, police said.
Investigators believe the calls are difficult to trace because they often originate from temporary internet-based phone numbers. However, federal authorities are now linking Coldwater's cases to a national investigation led by a task force based in Houston.
That task force is tracking a suspect believed to be responsible for nearly 1,900 similar hoax calls nationwide.
Scheid said swatting incidents place a significant strain on emergency resources and create real safety risks for first responders and the public. He has called for stronger federal prosecution to deter future hoaxes.
Source: The Coldwater Daily Reporter