Florida senator Rick Scott’s home was the target of a prank call to police on Wednesday night, prompting a Swat team to deploy before standing down. The incident is believed to be a case of “swatting,” a dangerous prank where individuals intentionally make a false report in order to lure law enforcement to a specific location.
While Senator Scott was dining with his wife, Ann, local Naples authorities responded to the fake call, which claimed that a shooting had occurred at the Scott’s Naples home. In a statement on Twitter, Senator Scott described the incident as a sick attempt to terrorize his family, and the Naples police have labeled it an active and ongoing investigation.
This incident comes after several other US public figures, including Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene and Congressman Brandon Williams, have also been targeted by swatting calls. On Christmas Day, Greene’s home in Rome, Georgia, was the subject of a false report made to a suicide hotline, while Williams’s home in New York also received a swatting call.
These incidents serve as a reminder of the serious implications of swatting and the strain it places on law enforcement resources. Authorities across the country continue to investigate these incidents and work towards finding those responsible for these dangerous pranks.