Royal Oak Police Handle 
“SWATTING” Situation
(Royal Oak Police, May 4, 2015)
Royal Oak police officers and the Southeast Oakland County SWAT team responded to the 1100 block of Royal to investigate the report of a barricaded gunman holding two hostages inside a home. When they arrived on the scene, a perimeter was set up around the home. Residents in the immediate area were advised to stay in their basements for safety while further information was gathered from the caller who remained on the phone. As the incident evolved, officers began to realize this may be a “Swatting” call, which is a term commonly used to describe a false report 
causing a significant police response.
The incident began on Saturday, May 2, 2015 at 11:04 a.m., when an unknown suspect called the police station stating he had stabbed two females at the residence and was armed with a shotgun. After approximately one hour officers were able to make contact with the homeowner, who was in the basement of the residence on his computer, and unaware of the incident. After interviewing the homeowner, officers confirmed the report was false. Due to the seriousness of this type of call, the annual “Mind Over Matter” 5K run/walk was diverted to ensure the safety of the race participants. No one was injured.
“Swatting” is the act of calling in a false police report which requires a large scale response.
False reports of this nature create a very dangerous situation for responding emergency services 
and the community. The person who called in this fake report committed a felony, which carries a penalty of up to four years in prison.
NOTE: Police Reports come directly from the Police Department or agency involved and are written by the person or agency listed below the title. We generally run these “as is” or with minimal editing for punctuation, spelling, etc. Suspects should not be presumed guilty. Those needing more information about a case are encouraged to follow up with the reporting agency or court system for the most current information.
Want a daily list of headlines? Sign up at https://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailverify?uri=Oakland_County_115_News.
Oakland County Times
Reader supported local journalism
