The teenager behind the viral “Damn Daniel“ video became a victim of the infamous ”swatting” prank this week.
Daniel Lara starred in the video, but his friend Josh Holz put it all together and was the one who posted it to Snapchat and then to Twitter.
Riverside police Lt. Kevin Townsend said Josh and his family were the victim of a bogus emergency call early Tuesday that forced police to swarm their Riverside home.
A team descended upon the house after receiving reports that someone at the residence had shot their mother with an AK-47.
“A person called Riverside Police Department dispatch center and used some kind of a voice modification device and reported that he had shot his mother,” Townsend told ABC7.
Police searched the home and determined it was a false report. The family was cooperative. Swatting has become increasingly popular over the past few years, with a number of people—including celebrities like Justin Timberlake—finding themselves victims.
The Damn Daniel video has attracted lots of praise, but also criticism. Swatting is usually done by people with a vendetta against the victim.
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