‘I met the police outside with my hands open and then brought them inside the house where my wife and two children were, also with their hands open.’
A growing trend of conservative politicians and thought leaders being targeted by 911 calls reporting fake emergencies, often causing armed officers or tactical teams to arrive at their homes, could lead to serious injury or even death, according to a recent victim.
Rep. Brandon Williams (R-N.Y.) told The Epoch Times that he was sitting down with his family on Christmas Day when he received a call from the local sheriff’s office notifying him that there had been a shooting inside his home and that police were en route. He immediately took the call as a threat against his family.
“Someone was hoping that police might kill me or my family, that’s exactly what happens in these swatting cases,” Mr. Williams said. “These well-intentioned police come in heavy, thinking there is an urgent crisis and for someone not expecting that, it creates a lot of confusion.”
He said it was stressful but that he hoped his actions on that day would help set an example for his children of how to deal with law enforcement when confronted with a tense situation.
“I met the police outside with my hands open and then brought them inside the house where my wife and two children were, also with their hands open,” Mr. Williams said. “My goal was to make it easy for them.
“After they walked through the house and were satisfied it was a false alarm, we sent them home with some Ziploc bags full of Christmas cookies.”
Police are working to identify the callers, but no arrests have been made.
However, Mr. Williams is only the latest Republican to find himself the victim of “swatting,” as it has become known: the act of calling law enforcement and claiming that there’s an emergency situation with the goal of causing tactical teams with weapons drawn to barge into the target’s home.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) said she was the target of a swatting attempt at her Georgia residence on Christmas morning.
