Two teenagers from New England have been arrested and taken to Polk County after authorities say they made prank 911 calls that caused deputies to respond twice to a home near Haines City.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said the two suspects, ages 14 and 15, were upset with a 12-year-old living at that home whom they had been gaming online with.
Judd said the two teens, from East Hartford, Connecticut, and Syracuse, New York, then made two prank calls, often referred to as “swatting,” to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
On June 4, deputies were dispatched to the residence on Pilchard Drive in Poinciana, after gunshots were reported to have occurred there. The caller identified himself as a 12-year old child who lived at that home.
Deputies arrived and quickly determined that there had been no gunshots and the child who lived at the house did not make the call.
The following night, deputies responded to a second call to the same residence; this time the caller stated that he had murdered his family with a shotgun, the sheriff’s office said. Again, the report was false, Judd said in a news conference on July 10.
“Swatting is a serious and dangerous crime, and often results from online gaming and arguments. If you do this to a resident of Polk County, Florida, we will track you down and hold you accountable,” Judd said.
Detectives determined that the child at the residence had been playing Fortnite online with friends that he had made through the Discord server. The suspects were said to be upset with the victim’s play during the game.
Detectives were able to track the calls back to the two suspects. With help from local police in Connecticut and New York, the teens were arrested and extradited to Polk County for prosecution.
Both teens are facing charges for false report concerning the use of firearms in a violent manner and unlawful use of a two-way communication device, both felonies.
Please – make an example out of these two.