"Swatting call" forces lockdown at Loma Linda hospital
An apparent "swatting call" forced staff at Loma Linda University Medical Center to shelter in place amid fears of an active shooter incident Wednesday night.
"Loma Linda Hospital has been cleared. There are no reported injuries, and the incident appears to be a swatting call," the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department posted on Instagram.
"Swatting" is when someone knowingly submits a false report, typically posing as a witness to an active shooter, hostage, or home invasion situation. The caller often tries to coax law enforcement to send the largest response possible, including a SWAT team, according to the National 911 Program.
"These actors will often have a reasonable scenario and will sometime include personal information," the federal agency wrote in its 2015 report "These actors have various reasons; sometimes it is for 'fun' and viewed as a prank to the actor, while other times it is used as retaliation against a real or perceived issue with the victim."
Swatting or making a false report of an emergency can be charged with a misdemeanor or felony, depending on if the report was likely to kill or seriously hurt someone, according to the California Penal Code. Last month, 18-year-old Alan W. Filion of Lancaster was sentenced to four years in prison for calling in more than 375 swatting and threat calls.
Sheriff Shannon Dicus said they had some evidence on the suspect but didn't specify.
"The one thing I want this suspect to know is this is the wrong county to do those things in," Dicus said. "As you can see the response of our allies tonight, we don't play. If there is evidence and we can find you, you better watch your door because we're going to be kicking it."
The sheriff's department said they received reports about a "possible man with a gun" at the Loma Linda University Medical Center just after Loma Linda University officials issued an alert at 6:16 p.m., warning staff and visitors about an armed assailant in the pediatric emergency department.
Dr. Michelle Pauliah, a resident physician at the center's children's hospital, said she left the building right before the alert.
"Just a few minutes after I left the pediatric emergency department, I just got word from my co-residents that they heard there was an active shooter in the emergency department," Pauliah said. "They're actually hiding down under the tables. Quite a few of our residents said they have barricaded the doors."
