Second recent “swatting” incident in Alexandria, drain to emergency services

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (DC News Now) — The Alexandria Police Department (APD) responded to the second “swatting” incident in the city in recent months and warned the community of how dangerous such incidents can be.

Officers received a report of a man saying he’d shot his wife and was threatening suicide on Jan. 10 at about 10:11 p.m. in the 800 block of Clovercrest Drive.

Multiple APD officers responded but later determined it was a false report – no one was hurt or threatening suicide. After checking the address and speaking to the homeowner, officers left – they are still investigating the incident.

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This was just one of the latest two recent false or hoax “swatting” threats in Alexandria, APD stated on Saturday. In 2023, the APD received four calls for service that ended up being swatting calls.

Swatting is criminal activity by someone who knowingly provides false information to police, suggesting a threat exists. This causes police or emergency services to respond, draining resources and putting responders and the community at risk.

“These crimes are not victimless,” stated Alexandria Chief of Police Don Hayes in a statement. “An incident of swatting can be traumatic for a community and have tragic consequences. Making a false report compromises the safety of everyone involved, including our officers.”

APD said that it takes all threats to public safety – including swatting incidents – seriously. Swatting is a crime, and incidents are investigated by police. If the hoax crosses state lines, it is considered a federal crime. A false report can be punishable as a Class 1 misdemeanor or a Class 6 felony.

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