Police deal with another ‘swatting’ call in Kitchener, second fake emergency in the same day
Posted Jun 14, 2024 07:05:29 AM.
Last Updated Jun 14, 2024 09:50:59 AM.
Two fake calls about threats of violence in Kitchener in the same day, and now Waterloo Regional Police tell CityNews 570 they are investigating if the “swatting” calls are connected.
A swatting call is a phoney call to a police service to bring out their emergency response teams, often called SWAT teams.
A second such call to regional police on Thursday came in that night, with a threat of violence against police and members of the public at a business in the Sunrise Centre shopping plaza on Ottawa Street South at Fischer-Hallman Road.
Police confirmed to CityNews 570 on Friday morning, the call was a fake, and “intended to initiate an emergency response.”
Police posted messages on social media while the Sunrise Centre call was active, but those have since been deleted.
Earlier Thursday, a similar swatting call threatening a shooting brought police out to the Kitchener Market for a threat of violence, with a nearby school, Cameron Heights Collegiate, being put into hold-and-secure mode.
Police have already said the fake threat against the marketplace originated from outside Canada.
Both calls are still under investigation.
