“Swatting” hoax near Palm Springs’ Warm Sands neighborhood

Palm Springs Police are looking for the person or persons responsible for a “swatting” hoax.

At 6:16 p.m. Saturday, the Palm Springs Police Department received a phone call from an unknown male who said he was at a home in the 600 block of South Camino Real. The caller reported he had just murdered a roommate and was holding another person hostage. Officers responded to the home and began investigating. The unknown man reported he could see officers in the area and would kill the hostage if officers did not leave the area.

PSPD was able to identify the real homeowner, and learned no one was at the home specified in the phone call. Officers determined the call was a “swatting” hoax.

Palm Springs Police Department officials describe “swatting” as a term used to describe criminal activity by an individual (or group) who knowingly provides false information to police suggesting that a threat exists at a particular location so that police respond with tactical units.

Police say making false threats drains law enforcement resources and can cause significant distress or physical injury to first responders or victims. In some cases, the alleged crime is a means to harass the occupants of a residence or location that is targeted. In this case, the homeowner was not at the residence.

There is an active investigation into this matter, anybody with information on this incident is asked to contact the Palm Springs Police Department at 760-323-8116 or Valley Crime Stoppers at 760-341-STOP (7867).