Halton police respond to “swatting” incident in Milton
Published February 23, 2021 at 1:15 pm
On February 23, 2021, at approximately 10:50 a.m., the Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) received a call from a male stating he had shot and killed someone at an address in the area of Maple Avenue and Thompson Rd. N. in Milton.
As a result, Chris Hadfield Public School and St. Peter Catholic Elementary School were placed in a precautionary Hold and Secure due to their proximity to the alleged incident, according to police.
Police say several police resources attended the scene including frontline patrol officers and officers from the Tactical Rescue Unit, K9 Unit and Criminal Investigations Bureau.
The investigation determined the call to be unsubstantiated and is believed to be an incident of “swatting,” according to police.
“Swatting” is a criminal offence that involves a dangerous prank call to the police, in which a caller makes a false report for the purpose of having numerous police and emergency resources dispatched to an ongoing critical incident.
“Swatting calls involve the response of numerous police and EMS resources as well as dispatchers and communicators in our call centre who are all reserved for service to a variety of legitimate community needs,” said Halton Police in a release.
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“False reports like these carry rippling impacts on our community’s safety and well-being. The risk to residents is significant.”
Police say the investigation is ongoing in an effort to identify the party responsible for the call.
Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to contact HRPS at 905-825-4777.
Tips can also be submitted anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.ca.
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