Two out-of-state teenagers have been arrested and extradited to Florida for allegedly “swatting” a child in Polk County after losing a match in the popular video game Fortnite.
A 15-year-old boy from East Hartford, Connecticut and a 14-year-old boy from Syracuse, New York are accused of “swatting,” a harassment tactic of falsely reporting a serious crime so that police show up. The Orlando Sentinel is not naming the suspects because they are minors.
The victim was a 12-year-old in Poinciana, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office said in a Thursday news release.
A sheriff’s office spokesperson said the three were online gaming friends who were on the same team in a Fortnite match, which they lost. The two out-of-state teens were upset and blamed the victim for losing the game.
Polk Sheriff Grady Judd said at a news conference Thursday “swatting” is dangerous and won’t be tolerated. It wastes police resources that could be used to help people actually in danger, Judd said, and puts the victims at risk of being harmed in the confusion created when armed officers respond to what they think is a serious crime.
“The message I want to send to kids all across this nation is we’ll come get your butt,” Judd said. “We don’t care where you are. You’ll visit detention and lockup in Polk County, Florida when we catch you doing this.”
The Sheriff said the 15-year-old made a call to police on June 4 and told law enforcement there were gunshots at the victim’s residence. Deputies responded to the residence around 7:50 p.m. and quickly determined it was a “swatting” call. The victim’s parents were advised to have the victim stop playing games online — advice Judd said the parents ignored.
A second “swatting” call was made against the victim June 5 by the 14-year-old, who Judd said was a long-time gaming friend of the victim. The 14-year-old and his father had even come to Florida to visit the victim in person.
This call was much more graphic than the first: The teen purported to be a man who had killed his wife and children.
Deputies again responded to the residence around 7:15 p.m. Detectives later tracked the calls back to the teenage suspects.
Judd advised parents to not allow their children to play online video games with people they do not really know.
“Lock down the machines. Don’t allow them to play games with people across the United States,” he said. “If they want to play a game, let them play with their friend, little Johnny next door, where you know the parents and they know you, and stop this online gaming that’s leading to these horrible events.”
Judd said Polk County has swatting calls almost every week.
Both suspects are currently in custody at the Polk County Jail’s Juvenile Detention Facility, according to a sheriff’s office spokesperson. They are facing charges of false report concerning the use of firearms in a violent manner and unlawful use of a two-way communication device, both of which are felonies.
