The call came in around 2:35 p.m. on Tuesday that there was a violent family dispute involving weapons.
The Ontario Provincial Police responded with several units to the 911 call immediately, but when officers arrived at the home on Talbot Road East in Leamington, there was no family dispute.
There was no emergency, and the family had been swatted.
Swatting calls are designed to draw a large police presence to what is reported as an emergency situation. The tactic can escalate quickly, wasting valuable police resources, but more importantly, causing the potential to severe emotional, physical, and psychological harm to the victims.
The OPP is investigating, and investigators ask anyone with information to call the Essex County OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
