Round Hill Road ‘Swatting Suspect’ Arrested in Canada, 16-Year-Old Boy

police stationGreenwich Police Lt. Kraig Gray released two Tweets on Monday night. The first “Greenwich’s Round Hill Road ‘Swatting’ suspect arrested,’ included a link to a Los Angeles FBI press release stating a male resident of Canada, a minor, has been arrested and charged with over 60 criminal code offenses related to “Swatting.”

Back on April 17, Lt. Kraig Gray issued a statement about a false Thursday night 911 call for a hostage being taken at a private residence on Round Hill Road. “Based upon all the available facts our investigators are pursuing the incident as a hoax with its originator currently unknown.”

The Los Angeles FBI release states that Canadian law enforcement officers arrested a suspect linked to multiple “swatting”-style attacks that victimized schools in North America and led to lock-downs or evacuations of impacted schools.

The suspect is linked to incidents in in Riverside, CA; Stockton, CA; Montgomery County, MD; Melbourne, FL; Orlando, FL; Greenwich, CT; Tampa, FL; and Watervliet, NY.

Lt. Gray’s second Tweet links to a statement from Police in Ottawa Canada that says the suspect is just 16 years old and is charged with offenses including, “Public Mischief, Mischief to Property, Utter Death Threats, Convey False info with intent to alarm.”

Staff Sgt. Rick Baldwin-Ooms, of the Ottawa Police said that the subject is a suspect in at least 30 North American Swatting occurrences.

“The nature of the false threats received by the schools varied. In some cases, police were falsely warned of explosives, hostage-taking, and the threat of an active shooter,” according to Baldwin-Ooms.

“Swatting” is a term used to describe criminal activity by an individual (or group) who knowingly provides false information to police suggesting that a threat exists at a particular location so that police respond with tactical units, according to the release. Making false threats drains law enforcement resources and can cause significant distress or physical injury to first responders or victims.

This international case which includes both Canadian and US agencies includes Greenwich Police.