Police Respond, Surround Home After Spoofed Call
Mar 21, 2019, 6:09 AM | Updated: 6:09 am
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Police are frustrated after fake 911 calls prompted a major response overnight.
The incident began when authorities received 911 calls from a man who said he had injured people inside a home and would injure more if there wasn’t a response. In the calls, he also reportedly threatened to shoot officers as they arrived in the area.
Responding officers discovered everyone in the home was OK, and the calls were made from a spoofed number.
Officials said fake calls like these are no laughing matter. They actually put lives in danger as armed officers respond to what they believe is a critical situation.
“Any time you introduce elements like that, certainly it can be dangerous for us and the public,” said Scott Smalley with the Salt Lake Police Department.
The homeowner reportedly wasn’t aware anyone was making the calls to his house. Authorities are doing what they can to locate the caller, but they can’t be sure if it happened locally because the cell phone was disconnected.
