VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A dangerous crime known as "swatting” happens when criminals make prank calls to authorities, reporting fake emergencies in the hopes of getting a large-scale law enforcement response.
The WTKR News 3 Investigative Team continues to dig into information about several cases concerning incidents of swatting targeting homes in Virginia Beach.
In one 2024 case, police responded to a report of domestic violence at a Virginia Beach home. The caller falsely claimed the "mother was injured" and the "father is armed with a rifle."
Previous coverage: Virginia Beach family swatted 3 times and they don't know why
It happened on a Monday night when the family was home making dinner. Suddenly, there was a huge police presence surrounding their house.
"I hear 'come out with your hands up,'" recalled swatting victim Tristin Farlow. "I see the dog, I see the guns, I see people behind the cars with at least six or seven police cars out there."
The family said the experience was terrifying and happened to them three times, according to a search warrant.
A new search warrant obtained by WTKR shows the same phone number used in the case above contacted 45 different police and sheriff's departments in 20 states, including in Virginia Beach and Newport News.
It states these calls were made throughout the month of August 2024.
"[Swatting] is problematic all around," said Richard James, a crime analyst. "There are two victims, the innocent person who has the police coming to the house in the middle of the night, and the police who are set up to go to this particular scene."
James added that swatting could potentially put people in danger.
"It's very taxing on law enforcement, and it can also be very dangerous to innocent citizens," he explained.
There was also another report of swatting calls made to a home on Lovetts Pond Lane throughout the month of June of this year.
Recently, Virginia Beach police accused a Portsmouth man of several other swatting incidents, but could not say if he's connected to the cases WTKR has been investigating. They did say he wasn’t charged in connection with either of those cases.
This article was researched, reported, and written by a WTKR News 3 journalist. AI was used to minimize typos and ensure style continuity.
