A SWAT team*swarmed a Long Beach home expecting the aftermath of multiple shootings and a hostage situation. What they found was a teenage*boy playing video games.
More than 70 emergency responders including police, MTA officers, firefighters and Nassau police ambulances responded to a 3:00 pm call from someone claiming to have shot his mother and brother inside a Laurelton Boulevard house yesterday,Newsday*reported.
Authorities believe the fake call came from someone 17-year-old Rafael Castillo defeated in Call of Duty and are calling the hoax an instance of ?swatting? ? a trend where culprits make fake calls to trick emergency services, often for revenge.
"This is really becoming a national epidemic for law enforcement,?*Long Beach Police Commissioner Michael Tangney told*Newsday.
The boy?s mother, Maria Castillo, 54, was in the kitchen when she heard authorities*shouting ?Go!Go! Get out!?as they surrounded her home*with weapons draw.
She went outside as officers asked her if there was a shooter inside. Fearing for her child,*?she kept saying, ?My son, my son,?? Long Beach Lt. Mark Stark told*Newsday.
Authorities spent the next 20 minutes calling Mr. Castillo who reportedly didn?t pick up because he was playing the game. He eventually answered a call from his older brother, Jose Castillo, 21.
The SWAT team searched the residence and gave the ?all-clear? at 4:30 pm.
Authorities suspect the call was a hoax because it was made via Skype, not a phone, to the departments office number rather than 911, which has tracking capabilities.
The culprit*could be charged with falsely reporting an incident and billed for a $100,000 emergency response.
Read more at*http://observer.com/2014/04/defeate...eam-to-winners-li-house/#ixzz2zjj5DFWx*Follow us:*@newyorkobserver on Twitter*|*newyorkobserver on Facebook
More than 70 emergency responders including police, MTA officers, firefighters and Nassau police ambulances responded to a 3:00 pm call from someone claiming to have shot his mother and brother inside a Laurelton Boulevard house yesterday,Newsday*reported.
Authorities believe the fake call came from someone 17-year-old Rafael Castillo defeated in Call of Duty and are calling the hoax an instance of ?swatting? ? a trend where culprits make fake calls to trick emergency services, often for revenge.
"This is really becoming a national epidemic for law enforcement,?*Long Beach Police Commissioner Michael Tangney told*Newsday.
The boy?s mother, Maria Castillo, 54, was in the kitchen when she heard authorities*shouting ?Go!Go! Get out!?as they surrounded her home*with weapons draw.
She went outside as officers asked her if there was a shooter inside. Fearing for her child,*?she kept saying, ?My son, my son,?? Long Beach Lt. Mark Stark told*Newsday.
Authorities spent the next 20 minutes calling Mr. Castillo who reportedly didn?t pick up because he was playing the game. He eventually answered a call from his older brother, Jose Castillo, 21.
The SWAT team searched the residence and gave the ?all-clear? at 4:30 pm.
Authorities suspect the call was a hoax because it was made via Skype, not a phone, to the departments office number rather than 911, which has tracking capabilities.
The culprit*could be charged with falsely reporting an incident and billed for a $100,000 emergency response.
Read more at*http://observer.com/2014/04/defeate...eam-to-winners-li-house/#ixzz2zjj5DFWx*Follow us:*@newyorkobserver on Twitter*|*newyorkobserver on Facebook
