HN SHOCK VIDEO: Patrol officers warned to back off… man on phone “states he observed the officers and that he has a long gun…” S.W.A.T. called in to clear apartment on Main Street, Hyannis…” [UPDATED]
*** UPDATE: BPD PRESS RELEASE ***
01/30/2019
SWATTING CALL
At approximately 8:15 pm on Tuesday, 1/29/2019, Barnstable Police Dispatch received a call from a man stating that he was in an apartment on Main St, Hyannis and that he had killed someone. The caller also stated that he would shoot any police officers that showed up.
The nature and circumstance of the call immediately raised suspicion that it may be a type of call commonly referred to as ‘swatting’ wherein the caller falsely reports a serious crime to police with the intent of generating a large police response to the hoax call. These types of calls have occurred at various locations around the country and have even been used as ‘pranks’ upon unsuspecting homeowners.
Officers did respond to the area reported by the caller and were able to verify that the call was indeed false. An investigation into the phony call is ongoing.
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INITIAL HN COVERAGE:
HYANNIS – As you will hear and see in the following HN Shock Video, police officers were responding to a call when they were warned by dispatch that a man on the phone stated he observed the officers and that he had a “long gun.”
This caused alarm and concern for the safety of responding officers.
Barnstable Patrol Officers quickly set up a perimeter and blocked access to the area.
Officers believed the threatening call may have come from an apartment in the area of 547 Main Street.
The video shows patrol officers taking cover as members of S.W.A.T. moved in to clear the apartment, which turned out to be unoccupied by the time they arrived…
The scene was turned back over to patrol officers as soon as it was made safe. This is an active and ongoing investigation, and HN will provide official updates as soon as they become available.
The following HN Video highlights officers taking cover and blocking the area. The call came in at about 9:25 a.m., and scene was active for over an hour. There were people out in the immediate area at local restaurants and bars. The entire potentially life-threatening situation all unfolded in the middle of busy downtown Main Street!
[PRESS PLAY]
