‘Swatting’ is a growing phenomenon within the gaming world. Now Peter Simeti, founder of Alterna Comics, has become the latest alleged victim in an open ‘swatting’ case.
‘Swatting’ occurs when a person phones in a false report to 911. Claiming that there is a violent, terrorist related threat occurring within a home, the caller intentionally has armed SWAT teams sent to the recipient’s home. The act is considered a prank to some, but often ends as a fatal final moment for those on the wrong end of the supposed joke.
Back in 2018, for instance, 25-year-old Tyler Barriss plead guilty to a series of prank calls to police. Among them, one of the supposed pranks ended in the death of 28-year-old Andrew Finch.
As reported by CBSLA, Wichita Police Dept. Deputy Chief Troy Livingston made the following statement concerning the matter. “We believe this incident was a case of swatting, which the act of deceiving emergency services into sending a police response to another person’s address,” Livingston said. A video of the incident may be viewed below.
This incident is only one of many to have spread throughout the country. Despite their innocence, those made victim of these hoax calls are often at risk of injury or even loss of life. During the intense fracas of SWAT invasion, some victims are ultimately killed over a tragic misunderstanding.
In another example, a video of swatting victim Andrew Finch being fatally shot during a SWAT raid can be seen below.
Well, founder of Alterna Comics Peter Simeti has since gone to social media to claim that he has been the latest victim of an alleged ‘swatting’ call. In an official statement from Alterna Comics’ Twitter account claims that the incident occurred on Tuesday, Feb. 12.
“At approximately 10pm on Feb. 12th during a YouTube stream (now made private), police visited the home of publisher Peter Simeti under false pretenses of a violent domestic call.
“We are working with local law enforcement to learn more about the situation and what can be done.”
Peter Simeti has since come forward with a series of statements concerning the matter. The company founder’s full list of statements may be viewed below.
“I just had two guns pointed at me tonight because someone made a call to the police and gave them my address along with a falsified report.
“I’m shook up, but everything is OK now.
“I’m going to talk to the police tomorrow and see if I can find out more.”
“I was going to go back on and continue with another stream but we’re a bit of a mess over here. I’ll be back on later when things have calmed down.”
“I’m grateful that the police were thorough and quickly assessed the situation. It was the scariest thing I’d ever been through, but their judgement in the situation is the reason I’m even alive right now and able to tweet this. Things could have gone much worse.”
“According to the police, an anonymous caller pretending to be me, called up and said that I had “stabbed my girlfriend and that I was suicidal”. They gave the cops my name and address. The sergeant gave me his card and I’ll be giving them a call tomorrow.”
“I’m looking forward to cooperating with local law enforcement on this.
“Thank you for all of your kind words tonight… and the only thing I ask is to please remain calm and do not accuse anyone or any group of people as being responsible. Cooler heads will prevail. Thank you.”
“I’m going to contact police today and hopefully they’ll have more information for me.
“For press outlets reaching out for official statements, my tweets are public and the @ALTERNACOMICS page has an official statement. That’s all I’m going to say at this time. Thank you.”
“Update: Just got back from meeting with the police and an investigation has been opened.
“As a result, I can’t comment further on this situation but I’m glad they are taking this very seriously and have been fully briefed on the extent of the matter.
“Thanks everyone.”
Peter Simeti has not yet announced if he suffered any physical or emotional trauma concerning the incident. However, the case has since been opened by local police. The recent trend in ‘swatting’ cases has now lead to a largely more aware police force.
As seen within the video provided below, a Seattle SWAT team can be seen diligently assuring the safety of everyone involved within the ‘swatting’ hoax call. Following a growing awareness of ‘swatting’ incidents, it would appear that police nationwide are beginning to change their tactics to better assure safety and due diligence during raids.
Comments are closed.