Swatting hits law professor Jonathan Turley
George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley says he’s the latest victim of swatting, an action of fake calls for police response.
“Yes, I was swatted this evening. It is regrettably a manifestation of our age of rage,” Mr. Turley said in a statement obtained by the New York Post.
“However, we are grateful to the Fairfax police officers who were highly professional and supportive in responding to this harassment.”
Police arrived at Mr. Turley’s Fairfax residence Friday after an unknown person phoned in a 911 call falsely claiming a shooting occurred at the prominent legal scholar’s home.
The Fairfax County Police Department confirmed the call was a hoax.
The incident happened one day after Mr. Turley appeared on Fox News Digital and spoke about how the Commonwealth of Virginia is responding to the crime of swatting.
“Swatting constitutes a false police report that can be criminally charged,” Mr. Turley said. “Virginia recently passed a new law making swatting specifically a criminal misdemeanor. It can also be charged as a form of criminal threats.”
Swatting has been a trend in recent years in which a phone call or false report is made to an unsuspecting resident’s home, a school or other public place to trigger a police or SWAT team response.
A raft of lawmakers and state officials was swatted last week.
Police responded to a call at the home of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia on Christmas Day after someone called a suicide hotline and falsely claimed to have shot his girlfriend at the lawmaker’s residence.
Georgia GOP State Sens. Kay Kirkpatrick, Clint Dixon and John Albers, plus Democrat Kim Jackson, were also swatted, reported Fox 5 Atlanta. This was in addition to Republican Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones saying his home was swatted and that a bomb threat was called into his district office.
Rep. Brandon Williams, New York Republican, found police pulling up to his home on Christmas Day after a false emergency call sent them to his upstate home.
Sen. Rick Scott, Florida Republican, discovered his home in Naples was swatted after police showed up Wednesday at his residence during the holiday recess.
Swatting has been on lawmakers’ radar for a decade, with perpetrators targeting politicians on both sides of the aisle.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, a Democrat, was recently swatted two weeks after she hosted a holiday party for nonwhite City Council members.
Rep. Katherine Clark, Massachusetts Democrat, was swatted in 2016. She suspected she was targeted for anti-swatting legislation she had introduced.
