A prank caller is suspected of launching a SWAT response in suburban Denver that locked down several schools.
The suspected "swatting" incident started when someone called 911 Wednesday to report that he had shot two co-workers and was holding hostages at a Littleton, Colorado office building. Police found no evidence of a shooting.
An online video purporting to show the incident show a man sitting before his computer saying "Think we're getting swatted" as SWAT officers enter the room with weapons drawn.
The man, Jordan Mathewson, told Channel 7 that he plays video games for a living -- thousands of fans watch him play on the website Twitch.tv He's also got about 700,000 subscribers to his YouTube channel where he posts videos of his gaming.
"I thought I heard through my headphones something resembling police," he told Channel 7. "A few seconds later, I prepared myself because I had a pretty good idea of what was going on. And sure enough, the burst through the door and had me get on the ground, handcuffed me, got me in a seat, to go ahead and clear the rest of the building. "
The office building is within several miles of Columbine and Arapahoe high schools, the scene of actual shootings.
Given their experience and training to respond quickly to mass shootings, police say they're fortunate no one was hurt. Mathewson told Channel 7 that the anonymity of the Internet allows for people to 'swat' others with a small chance of being caught.
"It's an alarming new trend," he said. "Some people just want to be jerks."
