A 17‑year-old resident of California accused of hundreds of swatting calls to face court

On May 12, 2023, Seminole County law enforcement swiftly mobilized in response to a distressing threat of violence. The emergency was triggered by a call from an individual claiming intentions of mass shooting at the mosque while expressing allegiance to Satanism and alleging possession of firearms and explosives. The call, further dramatized by the playback of gunfire sounds, led to the deployment of approximately 30 officers to the scene.

The collaboration determined that one person from California created multiple offers on the web offering swatting given addresses. As the FBI investigated further, they identified the suspect as Alan Winston Filion, 17, of Lancaster, California. They quickly served a search warrant in his house, and based on the information found, the warrant for arrest was obtained.

While swatting touches mostly known people, it also paralyzes the country's police; all of the forces, instead of preparing for mass shootings that are never to take place, could prevent the real ones.

While even politicians claim to be swatted often (ex., Nikki Haley, whose house was reportedly Swatted twice in December), we don't seem to see any answers to the issue from any side. While We can understand that the problem is challenging to act on, we cannot see these kinds of calls as pranks or exceptions anymore, as they are preventing police actual actions.

Sources: Washington Post; Seminole County Sherrif News Relese; The New York Times