This case led to a fatality. It shouldn’t matter. Swatters need to go to jail for a very long time just for making the call.
A 26-year-old man is going to federal prison for 20 years because of his prolific “swatting”—calling in phony reports of emergencies to police. In the worst case, a fake call that Tyler Barriss of Los Angeles made to police in Kansas about a hostage situation got a man killed, reports NBC News. When police stormed the Wichita address given by Barriss, 28-year-old Andrew Finch stepped outside, raised and lowered his arms, then was fatally shot by an officer. Police say two gamers had asked Barriss to “swat” Finch because of a beef over a video game. Those two are awaiting trial…
Roger Stone could not be reached for comment…
It was over a $1.50 bet and, if you hear the audio, Barriss wasn’t even trying to sound believable.
There are two parts to this story. The caller and the police who showed up ready to kill somebody without any confirming what was going on.
Three parts if you consider the importance maintaining anonymity online. The guy who was supposed to be targeted would have been the one killed if he hadn’t used a fake address. If companies can’t protect your data, they should not be asking for it.
Insane. You would think the cops would be smarter than to rush in like something out of the ending of the Blues Brothers movie.
Nonetheless, this guy is a murderer. But officers: scope it out a bit first, eh?
I think there was a young man killed police. The teenager beliwd he was protecting his sisters and mother and opened the front door with a rifle in his hands.The police shot him in what they thought was a hostage situation. Again, another mistaken address in Arlington, TX. I seem to remember the original swatter was in Los Angeles, trying to swat another gamer, who had moved away from the home in Arlington. The swatter gave the gamer’s original address inadvertently.
public caning & more caning, then jail
for a long time.
The jailhouse thugs will have the accurate address of his caboose when he arrives.
They will put him on the group W bench.
Not sure who are worse, Gamers or LARPers.
Every day I am reassured this generation which is flooded with spoiled brats and whiners, will be the one to bring down the USA as a world power.
Shoot the hell out of everyone and ask questions at the morgue. Same as shooting someone with a knife 20-30 times, when you could have shot him in the knee and bleed him out. Do the police even know what swatting is??
What, he didn’t hire Smollett’s lawyer?