Metro Detroit swatting prank calls leave officials searching for suspected caller

Pair of swatting incidents spark concern in Metro Detroit

Swatting is like prank phone calls on steroids, with the goal of getting a SWAT team to a home where nothing is actually happening.

DETROIT (FOX 2) - A swatting prank disrupted two Metro Detroit neighborhoods Tuesday night, prompting police to investigate the caller's identity.

Swatting is like prank phone calls on steroids, with the goal of getting a SWAT team to a home where nothing is actually happening.

What they're saying:

The caller dialed into Westland’s 911 Tuesday night, claiming he was going to kill his wife and his 6-year-old daughter, and even threatened to harm himself. Crying could be heard on the other end of the line during the call.

A similar call was made to the City of Monroe’s dispatch on Tuesday, with Monroe Director of Public Safety Chad Tolstedt stating that the dispatcher could hear what sounded like gunshots on the other end.

Dig deeper:

The goal of swatting pranks is to get SWAT teams to a location, usually a house where there aren’t any real issues occurring. It worked in Monroe, where streets were shut down and as many as 40 officers lined the neighborhood for three hours, believing it was a real threat.

In the Westland case, the targeted man lived off Cherry Hill near Merriman and was home alone when police made contact. Due to his cooperation, they quickly determined it was a swatting call. SWAT never responded there.

It was tougher to rule out a real threat in Monroe, as no one was home at the targeted house.

"It is absolutely is frustrating. It's pulling resources away from the other calls that we need to be responding to," said Tolstedt.

What's next:

Both addresses were chosen at random by the pranksters and were likely targeted by the same caller. Police are now working to identify the person behind these dangerous prank calls.