“Please don’t shoot my wife.”
That was Chad Caton’s desperate request as he stood in front of his garage at 3 a.m., staring down the barrel of a rifle.
Swatting is a crime that involves making a false police report to trigger a heavily armed response, often a SWAT team, at a target’s home. The perpetrator often calls 911, claiming armed intruders are inside the target’s house.
While not a new phenomenon, these hoax calls have been on the rise in recent years. And although the latest attacks have not resulted in any injuries or deaths, past incidents have proven deadly.
A 2017 swatting incident prompted by an online gaming dispute led to the death of a Wichita, Kansas, man. Three years later, a Tennessee man suffered a fatal heart attack in a similar situation sparked by his chosen Twitter handle, “@Tennessee.”
Citing those fatalities, Caton told The Epoch Times that the attack against him was “an absolute attempted murder.”
That view was echoed by talk show host Joe Pagliarulo, better known as Joe Pags, and conservative writer and commentator Larry Taunton.
“This is cowardly terrorism by people who are weaponizing local law enforcement as proxy assassination squads,” Taunton said.
The three victims, all gun owners, each noted that they could have engaged police in a shootout had they not guessed correctly what was happening to them.
In Pagliarulo’s case, a bit of quick thinking led him to call his local sheriff’s office before reaching for his gun.
“I called 911, which I think was a smart move ... and I said, ‘Are you at my house right now? This is my address. This is who I am,’” he recounted.
That decision may have saved Pagliarulo’s life. The dispatcher advised that someone had called claiming three gunmen burst through his front door and killed his dogs, and that he, the homeowner, was hiding upstairs.
Pagliarulo believes the culprit wanted him killed that night. “And they may have even wanted me to take a couple of [officers] out with me.”
Retired Sgt. Betsy Brantner Smith, spokesperson for the National Police Association, recommends that potential targets call local law enforcement if they think they are being swatted. She also urges them to notify the police if they think an attack could be forthcoming.
“‘Swatting’ is an act of violence against both law enforcement and those being targeted. It is designed to not only physically harm people, but to drive a wedge between police officers and the citizens they are trying to protect,” Smith said in a statement.
The hoax calls also drain police resources and draw first responders away from real emergencies, noted Gene Petrino, a retired SWAT commander.
“There’s more damage being done than just causing what is perceived to be an inconvenience to the person that’s receiving the swatting call,” Petrino told The Epoch Times.
Pagliarulo said the FBI reportedly has “some leads” on his case, but Caton remains skeptical that the culprits will be caught. Without accountability, he worries the attacks will continue.
“If we could perp-walk this guy and make him an example, people would probably stop. If it looks like this is going to be an untouchable crime, then more people are going to do it to try to make their point across.”
—Samantha Flom
BOOKMARKS
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is suggesting “zero-for-zero” tariffs on some goods traded between the United States and the European Union. “We stand ready to negotiate with the United States,” Von der Leyen said, but warned that the European Union is “prepared to respond through countermeasures” should those negotiations fail.
Donald Trump is ordering another review of the $14.9 billion sale of U.S. Steel to Japanese company Nippon Steel. Former President Joe Biden had halted the sale in January, saying: “A strong domestically owned and operated steel industry represents an essential national security priority.”
The Supreme Court has temporarily blocked a lower court order to return Kilmar Abrego-Garcia to the United States, after he was mistakenly deported to El Salvador on March 15. Abrego-Garcia was deported under suspicion of being a member of transnational criminal gang MS-13, but a 2019 court order was meant to keep him from being sent to El Salvador over fears for his safety.
China was close to approving a deal for the sale of video-sharing app TikTok, Trump said, but backed out due to concern over recent tariffs. “If I gave a little cut in tariffs, they would approve that deal in 15 minutes, which shows the power of tariffs,” he said.
Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) plans to introduce House legislation that allows Congress to regulate Trump’s ability to impose tariffs. The legislation is unlikely to become law, because even if it passed the House and Senate, it would have to survive a presidential veto.
—Stacy Robinson
