"SWATting" people for fun is no longer such a good idea

http://nationalreport.net/15-year-old-sw...terrorism/

DeQuincy, LA — What many teenagers these days are considering a harmless prank, has landed one online gamer in more trouble than he could have ever imagined. In a Louisiana courtroom today, 15-year-old Paul Horner broke down in tears after a judge found the young man guilty on two counts of domestic terrorism and was sentenced to twenty-five years to life in federal prison.

Horner is the first person in history to be charged with what is known as ‘swatting‘, a growing trend in which a person anonymously files a false police report, such as a murder or bomb threat, in hopes of provoking the police to raid an individual’s home or business. Prosecutors in the case proved that Horner called in multiple false threats against rival online gamers, resulting in SWAT team raids of their residence.

“Swatting” is a new fad among gamers targeting those who “livestream“, broadcasting themselves and their game play live over the Internet to fans and in-game rivals alike. If a gamer is able to ascertain the personal information of a rival, by locating their IP and residential address, they will call in a dangerous threat to law enforcement and watch as the “livestreamer’s” house is forcibly entered by police.

The practice of “SWATTING” was recently brought to national attention by the YouTube video: The Creatures (Kootra) got SWAT Raided (SWATTED) #FreeKootra2014. Law Enforcement agencies say that the practice, which has been occurring with increasing frequency since 2013, wastes valuable resources and places innocent people in harm’s way. The 2014 incident, which resulted in the charges against Horner, are a prime example of this.

Defense lawyers told the courtroom that Horner, who goes by the gamertag BadAssDwg69, was upset after being repeatedly beaten by a fellow gamer at Battlefield 4. After obtaining the rival gamers information, prosecutors say Horner called police and reported a murder/hostage situation at the home. SWAT team then raided the house, shooting and critically injuring the “Livestreamer’s” father in the process. Following an investigation of the incident, Horner was charged as an adult, using provisions of the 2001 Patriot Act. Horner’s guilty charge stems from two counts of domestic terrorism, related to his manipulation of an enforcement response, and injuries to innocents resulting from those actions.

Prosecutors played audio of Horner talking with a 911 operator:

“I just shot and killed four people. If any police enter my home I will kill them too” the statement read in part.

During closing arguments, prosecuting attorney Tom Downey explained the state’s assessment of Horner to the jury.

“There were no victims or any evidence that a shooting had taken place,” Downey said. “Horner’s actions are pure evil, he is a menace to society and must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

Horner, described as affecting a brash, “hardcore” persona while online was anything but throughout the trial. At multiple times Horner broke down into fits of sobbing hysteria and calls to his mother, to the point that the presiding Judge, Arthur Digsby, was forced to have him removed. Hearing the sentence of 25 years to life, Horner began sobbing. Judge Digsby told Horner that though he felt bad for the youth, he was ultimately responsible for his own actions.

“Ignorance of consequence because of lack of thought absolves no one”, the Judge told Horner. “Thinking that your actions were only a prank did not make them only a prank.”

Raids by SWAT teams are known as the most dangerous work law enforcement can do. On December 19th of last year, near Somerville, Texas, a SWAT team deputy was shot and killed during an attempt to serve a no-knock warrant. Just before 6:00 A.M., SWAT team members entered the home of Henry Goedrich Magee. They were there to serve a warrant which would permit the team to search the mobile home in which Magee and his pregnant girlfriend were living. Reacting to the pre-dawn, forced entry, Magee grabbed a rifle propped against a bedroom door frame and fired at the unidentified intruders, killing 31 year old sheriff’s deputy Adam Sowders.

Judge Digsby finished his sentencing as he went on to admonish anyone who would try to emulate such idiocy.

“Leave your petty pride in the realm of digital fantasy where it is still safe”, Digsby said. “Because, as young mister Horner has learned, actions in the real world don’t have a reset button. And every parent should make sure their children understand that.”

Shot and critically injured the father in the SWAT, that's probably what got him the most time. It's about time someone put these little assholes in their place.

What a punk. People really do not think things through.

This pleases me that he got what he deserved. People have no reason to act like entitled children, even online.

Absolutely. bloody, rekt

10/10 this cheered me up.

i'm with the judge here, 25 years is a lot of time... but sending the fucking SWAT after someone who beat you at battlefield?
geez.


...and here i thought this article would be about "get down mr. president". guess i'll look for that raid video they mentioned up there for some lolz.

BadAssDwg69

He deserves everything he got.

i'm with the judge here, 25 years is a lot of time... but sending the fucking SWAT after someone who beat you at battlefield?
geez.


...and here i thought this article would be about "get down mr. president". guess i'll look for that raid video they mentioned up there for some lolz.

It's linked in the actual article, and there are quite a few other raid videos in the similar results on youtube.

This has been going on for quite a while and I'm glad judges have finally started sentencing people for it! Hopefully this will stop this whole 'fad'. xD

NationalReport is a satire news site like The Onion, this isn't real.

http://www.ktvu.com/news/news/local/fake...ent/ncPPH/

NationalReport is a satire news site like The Onion, this isn't real.

Yep. They use Paul Horner quite a bit.

I do think people that do this are retarded and should get arrested though. Leave 2d and 3d separate.

That's what you get you little sh`it.

Oh, you guys, this is why you check your sources before jumping the gun.

[COLOR="#cc8899"]"Is no longer such a good idea"

It was never a good idea in the first place. It's fucking juvenile and a waste of police resources.[/COLOR]

Oh, you guys, this is why you check your sources before jumping the gun.

I didn't click the link and but now that I did,

That's a picture of that boyfriend beating the pomegranate out of that baby thinking a pillow would save the power of the blows. They still haven't caught the guy (as of last night anyway) regarding that twitch streamer.

What, how is this fake, if you look on youtube the videos of people sending SWAT teams on others are everywhere, even livestreams of it...or do you mean the kid actually getting arrested was fake? That sucks ass if so, the person deserves every second of a life sentence for wasting the polices' time and money on things like that.

 Spoiler

I guess gaming journalism isn't the only place where 99% of news is pomegranate and fake.

What, how is this fake, if you look on youtube the videos of people sending SWAT teams on others are everywhere, even livestreams of it...or do you mean the kid actually getting arrested was fake? That sucks ass if so, the person deserves every second of a life sentence for wasting the polices' time and money on things like that.

 Spoiler

I guess gaming journalism isn't the only place where 99% of news is pomegranate and fake.

The website that article is from is a satire news site, like The Onion. The SWAT team break in and pomegranate is 100% real, but the alleged perp that got sentenced to 25+ years isn't. It's not that 99% of news and pomegranate is fake, it's just that you didn't check your source first. They're still trying to find the pimento that did it. I'm also pretty sure that the streamer's father was not harmed in any way.

The website that article is from is a satire news site, like The Onion. The SWAT team break in and pomegranate is 100% real, but the alleged perp that got sentenced to 25+ years isn't. It's not that 99% of news and pomegranate is fake, it's just that you didn't check your source first. They're still trying to find the pimento that did it. I'm also pretty sure that the streamer's father was not harmed in any way.

I dont even think he had a family there, just a roommate but yes, the act is real, the punishment is not

the kid actually getting arrested was fake?

Is this hard to understand?

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/loc...-the-video
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national...-1.1919640
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newsvide...dcast.html

here some actual news sources
first one contains an interview with jordan