Heavily armed officers swarmed a Barrie home on Monday thinking they were responding to a shooting, but it was all a hoax.
Barrie police received a call from an unidentified man claiming to have shot his younger brother and had tied up his parents. The caller also reported being surrounded by friends and officer would be shot at.
The tactical support unit responded to the area of Penetanguishene Street and St. Vincent Street, just after 9:30 p.m. A man who only identified himself as Brady rents one of three units in the house.
“My girlfriend put the flashlight on her phone by accident and a few guns got pointed up by our window. That's when we were like ‘okay we think they’re at our house.’”
“Probably 45 minutes went by. They called us out. They had us at gunpoint. They're saying ‘just come out with your hands up.’”
Police blocked off several roads in the areas, preventing people from leaving or getting home.
“I was crying on the phone with my mom because all the police were hiding behind their cars with like big guns and stuff and I could hear the dogs,” says Jenna Rawn.
Police say it became clear that the residents were victims of a “swatting” incident.
Investigators are now trying to identify the caller and say he could face public mischief charges. All they know is that the call originated from somewhere in North America.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police or Crime Stoppers.
