By Joshua Arnold

At 3:05 a.m. Monday morning, sheriff’s deputies responded to a lakeside cul-de-sac in rural Alabama. Dispatch had received a disturbing call about three home invaders who had shot a man, his wife, and his child, and were still on the scene. Due to the violence reported, the responding deputies entered the property “blacked out” (without lights or sirens) and armed with rifles. They slowly cased the house, peering through doors and windows, gradually coming to the conclusion that there had been no home invasion.

Meanwhile, the homeowner was still awake, likely jetlagged after an overseas trip to Africa. He was alerted to something unusual by his dog’s uneasiness. He noticed a man peering into his home. He immediately suspected foul play, not law enforcement, because there were no lights or sirens. The homeowner grabbed his AR-15, crept out of his bedroom, and flipped on a light.

At this point, the deputy identified himself, but the homeowner didn’t take his word for it and asked to see some proof. “They were amped up. I was amped up. They’re armed. I’m armed,” he recalled. “This can go sideways very easily.”

The deputy showed his badge in the light, and the homeowner put down his weapon. He soon learned about the dispatch call, and the deputies soon learned that it had been a hoax.

The incident ended well, but it could have ended so badly. “If I come out and I see a man standing in my living room, especially with a weapon, I’m not asking questions; I’m opening fire,” said the homeowner. “And so, thank God that didn’t happen.”

This is called “swatting,” when an anonymous caller places a false call to emergency services, telling them about a shooting, hostage situation, or some other urgent incident at a particular address. Its aim is to prompt SWAT teams to suddenly burst into the targeted home, surprising and terrifying the unsuspecting residents, often unannounced or with weapons drawn. Swatting incidents have led to deadly encounters and murder charges in the past. Every single swatting incident carries a risk that either the homeowner or law enforcement personnel will overreact or misread a tense, unexpected situation. 

The victim of this particular swatting incident was Larry Taunton, a conservative commentator and executive director of The Fixed Point Foundation, who has appeared as a guest on “Washington Watch” on multipleoccasions.

But Taunton was not alone. So far, at least 15 conservative or right-wing media personalities have had their homes swatted in the past week, according to Breitbart. Each swatting incident is unique, with law enforcement bursting into homes in some instances, and with one man getting swatted twice in 12 hours. In some instances, the victims also had pizzas, which they had not ordered, arrive at their homes before or after the police.

So many swatting incidents in such a short span of time suggest a deliberate trend, much like the bomb threats and swatting against Trump’s cabinet picks shortly after the November election. Someone is out there targeting people for airing viewpoints they don’t like. Worse, targeted swatting also communicates that the perpetrator knows where the victims lived — a point driven home by the pizza deliveries. Someone wants to intimidate right-wing commentators into silence.

Fortunately, it appears that the FBI is on the case. “The FBI is aware of this dangerous trend, and my team and I are already taking action to investigate and hold those responsible accountable,” FBI Director Kash Patel said last Friday on Twitter. “This isn’t about politics — weaponizing law enforcement against ANY American is not only morally reprehensible but also endangers lives, including those of our officers. That will not be tolerated.”

It turns out that the FBI can operate as an efficient investigative organization when it isn’t forced to waste time shackling pro-lifers and snooping around Catholic churches. Since Trump has taken office, the FBI has already nabbed three fugitives on its Ten Most Wanted list. So, they stand a chance of finding those calling in swatting hoaxes too.

Perhaps the silver lining is that the recent swatting trend has targeted a group of people who are more likely to trust and support law enforcement. One victim of the swatting incidents, X-Space host Walter Curt, shared advice for others worried about being swatted. “Simply comply,” he said. “I am a law-abiding citizen who has done nothing wrong. I have absolutely nothing to fear from the police.” Hopefully, if these swatting incidents continue, we will continue to see every instance resolved without accident.

Joshua Arnold is a senior writer at The Washington Stand.