'Call of Duty' Feud Results in Police Being Called

A Westtown resident along with the Westtown-East Goshen Regional Police Department fell victim to an online prank after a feud developed while one of the residents played the X-Box game “Call of Duty.”

According to police, the Chester County Department of Emergency Services received a report of a home invasion in the 600 block of John Anthony Drive at 12:12 a.m.  on Wednesday.

An individual used AT&T Relay Services to report that four armed intruders were inside a particular residence with hostages.

The reporting party identified himself as the 13-year-old son of the homeowner who was hiding in a closet and reporting the incident as it unfolded.

According to police, the reporting party did use the correct name for the homeowner’s son.

The reporting party told police that the intruders were shooting inside the home and breaking out windows.

When police arrived on the scene they heard no shots being fired or saw any broken windows. 

Police established contact with the two occupants and then cleared the residence.

After interviewing the homeowner’s son, police believe that the call originated from an individual on the west coast that plays the X-Box game “Call of Duty” online. 

Someone had told the homeowner’s son that they would “swat” the son as punishment for something that occurred in the game.

According to police, “swatting” is defined as a goal achieved by hacking where the hacker tricks 911 systems into deploying SWAT to an unsuspecting victim’s home under false pretenses.

Detectives are investigating the incident to determine who made the false report.