Marine City police continue investigation of swatting incident in downtown area
A report of a hostage situation in progress on Sunday in Marine City, Michigan, was officially declared a "swatting" incident by local police.
"These incidents are not pranks; they are dangerous criminal acts that divert critical resources and put our officers and the public at significant risk," Marine City Police Chief James D. Heaslip said Monday. "We will work tirelessly with our federal partners to trace the origin of this call and hold the responsible party accountable."
Swatting is a false alarm made with criminal intent to spark a police response to a specific location.
In this case, a call was placed about 6:18 p.m. Sunday to St. Clair County Central Dispatch with a report of a potential gunman who had taken hostages. The caller claimed to have three people bound and held at gunpoint with an AR-15, police said. The given location was a professional building in the 400 block of South Water Street, near Riveria Restaurant.
The caller demanded a ransom of $500,000, police said. In addition, the caller threatened the lives of the hostages and "later falsely claimed to have discharged his firearm, striking multiple victims," police said.
In response to the severity of the call, the Marine City Police Department set up a command post at the intersection of Union and South Water streets.
Local, state and federal officers were called to search and evacuate an area of downtown that included Anita's Riverfront Grille and The Sweet Tooth candy store. Others were told to shelter in place. The police response included using drone surveillance and specialized entry teams.
In the meantime, the caller "continued to harass dispatchers, identifying himself as 'Aiden the Reaper' and claiming affiliation with a terrorist group before eventually stating he had 'escaped' the scene."
"He [the caller] was using what we think is like a YouTube camera to try and make the call more realistic," Justin Westmiller, St. Clair County emergency management director, said Sunday night. "We did shut that camera down so people couldn't get to it for a period of time."
About 9:11 p.m., law enforcement Special Response Teams had entered the building and confirmed it was empty.
"The reports were fabricated, and no victims were present," police said.
Agencies that responded to or assisted on the call included the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; Michigan State Police, Michigan Department of Natural Resources; St. Clair County Sheriff's Office; St. Clair Police Department; Port Huron Police Department; Marine City Area Fire Authority; Tri-Hospital EMS; St. Clair County Central Dispatch and the Office of Emergency Management.
Officers ask that anyone who can provide information to assist in the investigation contact the Marine City Police Department.
According to Michigan law, an individual who makes a false report of a crime that doesn't end in harm could spend up to four years in prison and pay a maximum fine of $2,000.
