Police have announced the arrest of a 15-year-old from Kitchener who made at least 13 "swatting" calls over the past six months.
Calls from the teen resulted in the closure of schools and the cancellation of events. The calls enlisted heavy responses from police at times.
"On May 29 of this year, Waterloo Regional Police received a call from an individual threatening to bring a handgun to St. Mary's High School in Kitchener and to cause harm to students," said WRPS inspector, Kyle Lambert.
Between May 2024 and October 2024, WRPS officers responded to 13 swatting calls that involved making false reports to police designed to elicit a significant police response.
The teen's threats resulted in the closure of St. Mary’s High School on May 29 and May 30 and the cancellation of an annual Relay for Life event hosted by the school in support of the Canadian Cancer Society.
Lambert adds that the caller's threats grew more violent and dangerous, claiming they were going to target hundreds of people at local Canada Day events and shopping centers.
In one instance, the caller said they were planning a mass shooting during Canada Day celebrations in Kitchener. In another, the teen said they had plans to shoot individuals and detonate a pipe bomb at a Kitchener shopping centre, Lambert said.
“In June, the caller threatened to shoot a family including young children at a Kitchener residence.”
Police determined that all of the calls were false, but the ramifications were real.
“While the threats were empty, the harm that was caused was not,” added Lambert. “Let me be clear, these swatting incidents are not harmless pranks. They’re crimes, and they have no place in our community.”
Police note that due to the advancement of technology callers can hide behind devices that make their identity difficult to track.
"Members are able to mask their identity and sometimes are able to make phone calls or send emails from different parts of the province, country and under the mask that they are staying local," said Lambert.
The teen has been charged with 29 criminal offences including:
- Public Mischief (eight counts)
- Utter Threats to Cause Death (eight counts)
- Mischief - Interfere with Lawful Enjoyment of Property (two counts)
- Party to the Offence of Public Mischief (five counts)
- Party to the Offence of Utter Threats to Cause Death (four counts)
- Party to the Offence of Criminal Harassment (two counts)
Police also seized multiple electronic devices as a part of the investigation and the accused is due to appear in court on Dec. 6.
Swatting Incidents Press Conference https://t.co/LbituQuhlD
— Waterloo Regional Police (@WRPSToday) November 11, 2024
