'I Think We're Getting Swatted': Employee's Reaction During False Shooting Report
LITTLETON, Colo. (CBS4) - A video game company employee videotaped a SWAT team descending on his office on Wednesday after a false report of a shooting at the building.
"I think we're getting swatted. What in the world?" an incredulous employee at the company says on a video he's recording just as police burst in through a door, point guns at him and shout: "Get your hands up!"
In the video, he puts his hands in the air and drops to the ground as officers surround him.
No one was hurt, and police didn't find any victims or evidence of shooting. Police said the call was a prank called "swatting."
A caller called 911 to say he had shot two of his coworkers and he was holding others hostage. Several agencies raced to the scene, and the building was evacuated.
"It has happened across the country with these types of calls, false calls. As you can tell there's a lot of resources here so there are a lot of taxpayer dollars here," Littleton Police Chief Doug Stephens said.
Stephens said Wednesday's operations easily cost tens of thousands of dollars.
Police and SWAT teams surrounded the office building at 1221 W Mineral Ave. just before noon. Police said someone made a call about a shooting at that address at 11:27 a.m.
"It's incredibly dangerous. It's not an online game. We have real guns with real bullets. There is potential for some tragedy," Stephens said.
The FBI is now investigating, and anyone suspected of the false call could face federal charges.
Employee Keith Brown was not amused: "It was a total waste of money and a waste of time."
Several nearby schools were placed on lock-in during the police activity. Those lock-ins were lifted by 12:35 p.m.
Police said there were no victims discovered after an initial search of the building. A second search of the building confirmed there were no victims and no shots fired.
Detectives questioned several employees at the office building.
