"Video gamer upset by loss made costly hoax call, N.Y. police say" by Frank Eltman | Associated Press April 24, 2014
LONG BEACH, N.Y. — A phenomenon in which pranksters call in phony emergencies that elicit a strong police response is being used by video gamers in a twisted competition where their success is based on the level of response, a suburban New York police commissioner said Wednesday.
The phenomenon is known as ‘‘swatting.’’
***********
Michael Tangney, commissioner of the Long Beach Police Department, was speaking a day after more than 60 heavily armed officers were dispatched to a home in this oceanfront community outside New York City on what turned out to be a hoax.
First of all, the reporting of a hoax is meant to be cover for all the hoaxes reported as fact. I mean, if they report hoaxes and say something is not a hoax, well, who wouldn't believe that.
The larger point is the recognition of how militarized AmeriKa's police forces have become.
And why was this platoon deployed?
A caller using Skype contacted the Long Beach police on Tuesday afternoon, claiming that he had just killed his mother and brother and was threatening to fire upon first responders who were sent to the home.
Tangney said the caller, who has yet to be identified, apparently became upset after losing in the video game “Call of Duty” to a teenager living in the Long Beach house.
They don't know where it came from or who made it? What good is all the spying then? Kid isn't Jewish, is he?
Officers in SWAT gear surrounded the house and eventually went inside, where they found the teenager wearing headphones, apparently oblivious to the dragnet.
The teen’s mother and brother were found unharmed.
‘‘When he gets taken out, we don’t know he’s not the shooter. He’s taken down in what we call a felony stop; he’s fully searched and handcuffed,’’ Tangney said. ‘‘He was what I would describe as the closest thing to being in shock. He was incapable of communicating for a few minutes.’’
Police eventually realized they were dealing with a hoax, but Tangney estimated the response, which included officers from the Nassau County Police Department and other agencies, cost $100,000. He added that two Nassau officers suffered minor injuries in a collision en route to the scene.
Then make the kid play it back! Think of it as student loan debt.
And that raises another i$$ue. When "public servants" commit wrongdoing it is the innocent taxpayer that must pay. Maybe that needs to be changed, and the government scum responsible for such things will be re$pon$ible for such things. Or give them a choice: pay back the money or death.
Detectives have collected the names of people who were playing the game with the Long Beach teenager and are working with Internet providers to obtain additional information about possible suspects. Tangney conceded the suspected hoaxer could live anywhere.
Well, then the phone call would trace back somewhere else and not to the house, right? Or the cellphone tower would certainly give number and location.
That statement kind of stinks on its face, and makes you wonder if this whole story is not another agenda-pushing hoax by the propaganda pre$$.
A spokeswoman for the FBI’s New York office confirmed that the agency is assisting with the investigation.
That makes me even more suspicious. They get the NSA collection records yet?
Police have been investigating ‘‘swatting’’ incidents for several years. The phenomenon also has involved several high-profile incidents where SWAT teams were dispatched to the homes of celebrities including Tom Cruise, Justin Bieber, and Ashton Kutcher.
Last year, the Los Angeles police said they would no longer routinely issue news releases or offer immediate confirmation on hoaxes in an effort to discourage the prank callers.
Yeah, someone is being "pranked."
--more--"
