A report of an active shooter at an Orange County hospital turned out to be a hoax and was a “swatting” incident, police say.
“Swatting” is defined by the Department of Homeland Security as a “malicious act that can involve placing false emergency calls to emergency responders, often reporting a (false) severe, ongoing crisis at a specific location.”
“The goat of ‘swatting’ is to provoke a significant law enforcement response, create chaos and [they can] potentially [result] in violence,” DHS advises.
That is exactly what transpired Tuesday morning at Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach, according to the Newport Beach Police Department, who issued a statement elaborating that officers were dispatched to the medical center on a report of shots being fired. The exact time they were dispatched was not disclosed.
“Officers immediately responded to the scene and conducted a thorough search of the facility,” NBPD said. “It was determined that the report was unfounded and part of a ‘swatting’ incident.”
A similar incident was reported at another area hospital on Monday night, police elaborated. The name of that facility was not stated.
Per Newport Beach police, there is no active threat to Hoag Hospital or the Newport Beach community; however, officials urged that “swatting” calls are “illegal, dangerous and disruptive.”
“We take these incidents seriously and will continue working with our regional law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute to the fullest extent of the law,” NBPD said.
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