A false complaint from a caller believed to be in the United States prompted Thompson RCMP to dispatch general duty members and police dog services to a house in Westwood around 1 a.m. Oct. 24.
An unknown man contacted RCMP and said that he had broken into a home on Manasan Drive and was holding multiple people hostage. He said that unless he received $20,000 he would kill the hostages.
Attending officers determined that no one was being held hostage and the investigation into the identity of the caller continues.
The incident appears to be an incident of swatting, which Wikipedia defines as a criminal harassment tactic in which emergency services dispatchers are tricked into sending police to an address by claiming that a serious emergency such as a murder, hostage situation or mental health emergency involving a suicidal or homicidal person is taking place. The practice is named for law enforcement SWAT (special weapons and tactics) units, which often use equipment to break down doors and are armed with military style automatic rifles.
