Roanoke County Police say a hoax called “swatting” is responsible for a large police presence this morning at Hidden Valley Middle School. Officers responded to a report of a person with a gun at the school but found no threat there. Police say “swatting” is hoax intended to get a major law enforcement response.
NEWS RELEASE: The Police Department responded to Hidden Valley Middle School in response to a report of a person with gun. Police have checked the school and no threat has been found. Police believe this is a hoax called “swatting” when someone calls in a threat to get a large police presence where there is no emergency. This is under further investigation.
FROM OXFORD LANGUAGES: [Swatting is defined as’ the action or practice of making a prank call to emergency services in an attempt to bring about the dispatch of a large number of armed police officers to a particular address.
