Southern California(Thechieftainspear) –A false report of an active shooter at Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital on Wednesday evening led to a heavily armed police response, creating panic among young patients, their families, and hospital staff. Authorities later confirmed the call was a hoax, part of a dangerous trend known as “swatting.”
The individual behind the false report claimed to be outside the hospital armed with explosives and intent on harming people inside. Believing the threat was real, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department responded swiftly, deploying tactical units and warning the public to avoid the area while officers “cleared” the facility.
One hospital staff member described the confusion and fear, recalling how they were informed via work phones that the situation was not a drill but an actual emergency.
Law enforcement officers spent nearly two hours searching the hospital before concluding there was no actual danger. While no injuries occurred, past swatting incidents in the U.S. have resulted in fatalities.
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Criminal justice expert and retired Secret Service agent Bobby McDonald emphasized the risks involved in swatting cases.
“These calls aren’t just reckless pranks—they create real danger,” McDonald said. “Not only do they disrupt critical operations at places like hospitals, but they put lives at risk, from medical personnel to responding officers and innocent bystanders.”
In addition to posing a threat, swatting calls waste valuable law enforcement resources. Officers must take every report seriously, meticulously verifying safety before allowing normal operations to resume.
This incident was part of a troubling pattern—just one day later, Claremont McKenna College faced a similar situation when a caller falsely claimed to be holding someone hostage with explosives and a firearm. That hoax prompted an evacuation and campus-wide lockdown while multiple police agencies spent hours searching for a non-existent threat.
Following the hospital swatting, San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus warned the perpetrator that authorities were actively pursuing leads and that swatting carries severe consequences, including felony charges, potential jail time, and heavy fines.
“This is not a joke,” Dicus stated. “We will hold the responsible party accountable.”
Authorities urge anyone with information about the false emergency calls to come forward as investigations into both incidents continue.
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