Oakville youth arrested for “swatting” incidents
Published February 20, 2020 at 4:34 pm
The Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) made an arrest following an investigation into two swatting incidents that took place in Oakville earlier this year.
The Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) made an arrest following an investigation into two swatting incidents that took place in Oakville earlier this year.
“Swatting” is a prank call to the police with the goal of having numerous police and emergency resources dispatched to an ongoing critical incident.
On Wednesday (Feb. 19), a youth from Oakville was arrested and a search warrant was executed at their residence. They were charged with two counts of public mischief and two counts of criminal harassment before their release.
The youth is scheduled to appear in court.
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“False reports like these carry rippling impacts on our community’s safety and well-being,” said HRPS. “The risk to residents is significant.”
The charges follow an investigation conducted by the 2 District Criminal Investigations Bureau into two incidents that took place on Jan. 25 and 28. On those dates, the HRPS was contacted and attended an Oakville residence after receiving reports of criminal acts at that location. It was quickly determined that criminal acts were fictitious and investigated as a swatting event, said police.
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