Authorities Seek Suspect In Westmoreland Co. 911 Texting Hoax
GREENSBURG (AP) — Police have been trying to find whoever sent texts to a Westmoreland County 911 dispatch center, claiming that a man had an AK-47 rifle and five bodies in his home.
Westmoreland County emergency management spokesman Dan Stevens says the incident was a hoax known as "swatting" — so named because it's meant to prompt a SWAT or similar police response to a home.
The text was sent Jan. 7, and prompted police in Jeannette to surround the home before finding an unsuspecting homeowner inside.
One text read, "There's five dead now and I got more today."
Others told police the occupant of the home had the automatic rifle, a desert eagle and a grenade.
Authorities are hoping to trace the texts with the help of phone companies.
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