LITITZ, Pa. — The Lititz Borough Police Department (LBPD) responded to a reported incident that ended up being a "swatting" call.
Swatting is a term used when false calls are made to police in an attempt to bring about the dispatch of a large number of police officers to a particular address.
The call came to police on Thursday, April 20 around 4:10 p.m. reportedly at a home located along the 600 block of South Cedar Street.
The initial dispatch information reported that the caller claimed he had just shot and killed his wife inside his home and was currently in the backyard with a shotgun, ready to kill other people. He also reported to police that his daughter was tied-up inside the home before hanging up.
Four LBPD officers arrived at the house within minutes of the initial call. At the scene, they began prioritizing and implementing on-scene critical incident protocols including locating and containing the threat and identifying those who may be in need of medical attention.
This included immediately deploying a response team of LBPD officers to the last known location of the "armed" suspect, who was not where he initially reported being or anywhere in the area.
A team of officers arrived at the home and began making announcements to anyone inside through a police vehicle public address system.
The homeowner was reportedly responsive to these announcements and exited the home into the safety of awaiting officers prepared to render aid to anyone inside who needed it.
The homeowner denied the report of the shooting and was unaware of any problem in the home.
Based on the totality of the initial on-scene and subsequent investigative efforts it was determined that the incident did not occur as reported.
Swatting, a tactic of deceiving emergency services, not only triggers a false emergency services response which takes away resources from legitimate emergencies, but also risks placing innocent people in danger.
At this time, the identity of the caller has not been verified. Police are investigating.
Swatting charges can come with a penalty of up to five years in prison, or up to 20 years if “serious bodily injury” occurs as a result of the prank call.
LBPD stressed that no one was injured and there is no armed subject at large. There was not, nor is there currently, any risk to the Lititz Community.
