Swatting’ Incident Targets Two Republican Representatives on Christmas Day

(UnitedHeadlines.com) – On Christmas Day, Republican lawmakers Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and New York Rep. Brandon Williams both were targeted by swatting calls.

“Swatting” is when a prank call is made to police to draw them to a specific location after someone makes a false report of a crime in progress. Then, police respond to the crime forcefully without knowing the call was a hoax. This can endanger the lives of the people living in the home being swatted.

Williams, the target of the first call, wrote on Twitter about the incident. He thanked “the Deputies and Troopers who contacted me” before the five cars responded to his home. He added that the “polite, professional, and prompt” law enforcement officers got homemade cookies and spiced nuts from his family. He went on to wish everyone a merry Christmas.

According to Cayuga County Sheriff Brian Schenck, authorities from the New York State Police and sheriff’s office responded to Williams’ home just after 2 p.m. Dec. 25 after receiving “a report of a reported confessed shooting incident.” Local law enforcement officers and the Capitol Police are investigating the incident.

Greene posted about her own swatting incident Dec. 25, not long after Williams posted on Twitter. Greene wrote that she was swatted for the eighth time while spending Christmas with her family. She stated her “local police are the GREATEST,” adding that they “shouldn’t have to deal with this.”

A Rome, Georgia Police Department spokesperson said that the 911 dispatch center received an emergency call on the suicide prevention hotline around 11 a.m. Dec. 25. The caller claimed that he had shot his girlfriend at Greene’s address and threatened to kill himself.

After consulting with Greene’s security detail, law enforcement “determined that there was no emergency,” and the “response was actually canceled en route,” according to the spokesperson. This is not the first time Greene has been the target of a swatting call, with the spokesperson adding that the local law enforcement officers have a good relationship with Greene’s security detail.