Teen gamers across country called SWAT twice on Florida 12-year-old, cops say

A 12-year-old Fortnite gamer was victimized twice in two days by “swatting” calls, and the culprits were his online competition in New York and Connecticut, according to Florida detectives.

The suspects, ages 14 and 15, have been arrested and are facing felony charges, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office said in a July 10 news release.

“Swatting” is trend in which 911 callers report fake emergencies to elicit a rush of law enforcement officers to a home, business or government building, often late at night, experts say.

The suspects are accused of “swatting” the boy’s home near Poinciana on June 4 and June 5, officials said.

In the June 5 incident, the 14-year-old New York teen fabricated a scenario that qualified as “sinister,” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said at a July 10 news conference.

“What he said was this: My wife didn’t cook dinner tonight and because she didn’t cook dinner tonight and because she set my clothes on fire ... I’ve taken a shot gun and killed my wife and killed the children,” Judd said.

Wary deputies suspected it was yet another case of “swatting,” but responded to the home to confirm their suspicions, officials 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,” the sheriff’s office said.

“The detectives were able to track the (false reports) back to the two suspects. ... The two suspects were arrested, and their transfer to Polk County was put into motion.”

The teens are charged with felony false report concerning the use of firearms in a violent manner and felony unlawful use of two-way communication device, officials said.

“Swatting is a serious and dangerous crime, and often results from on-line gaming and arguments,” Judd said in the release.

“If you do this to a resident of Polk County, Florida, we will track you down and hold you accountable. It doesn’t matter where you are, or how old you are, we are going to come after you ... for wasting law enforcement resources and endangering people.”

Poinciana is about a 70-mile drive northeast from Tampa.