Billionaire and Democratic megadonor George Soros became the latest victim of a criminal prank after his estate in Southampton Village, New York, was swatted over the weekend, adding him to a list of high-profile figures to be the subject of a false police report in the last week.
The Southampton Village Police Department received a 911 call just before 9 p.m. on Saturday from a person who claimed he shot his wife and was considering killing himself at Soros's estate, according to the New York Post. The call turned out to be false after officers rushed to the scene, Detective Sgt. Herman Lamison said.
A police radio traffic recording obtained by the news outlet detailed how one officer responded to Soros's estate and spoke to security, searching the premises and determining it was a "negative problem."
Soros is the latest prominent person to fall victim to the 911 prank, in which a person calls in a false police report for a violent crime, such as murder or a hostage situation, that prompts police to send SWAT teams.
Democrats and Republicans have been swatted over the last week. Reps. Brandon Williams (R-NY) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) were swatted on Christmas after false crimes were reported to law enforcement. Both members of Congress thanked local police in posts on social media.
Democratic Boston Mayor Michelle Wu was also swatted on Christmas after a false report came in that a man had shot his wife and tied her up alongside another man. Wu said in her post that her family "are a bit used to it by now."
Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) announced on Dec. 28 that his home in Naples, Florida, was swatted, calling it a "sick attempt to terrorize my family." He also criticized the waste of local law enforcement resources brought on by the swatting that could be used for other emergencies, one of the outcomes of the criminal act.
Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows were swatted over the holiday weekend and into last week. Bellows's swatting came a day after she ruled to keep former President Donald Trump off the Maine GOP primary ballot.
This article was originally published by The Washington Examiner.
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11.23.2024