The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department was called to the Loma Linda University Children's Hospital on Wednesday evening in response to a report of a possible shooter on the premises. A huge contingent of law enforcement, including a SWAT team, surrounded the medical facility. This response was initiated around 6:35 p.m. after reports of a "possible armed individual" surfaced, as confirmed by KTLA. The hospital was eventually cleared with no threats found.
The initial panic was instigated by a call to a non-emergency line where a male claimed he was hearing voices in his head, expressing desires to commit harm while supposedly entering the children's hospital. The caller's claims prompted an urgent evacuation and room-by-room clearing of the facility by law enforcement. With anxiety set amidst the staff and visitors, some, like Teresa Diaz, recounted the fear-inducing moments, saying, "I overheard there was an active shooting. I hope they catch him. It's traumatizing," as stated by NBC Los Angeles.
"As you can see the response of our allies tonight, we don't play. If there is evidence and we can find you, you better watch your door because we're going to be kicking it," Dicus warned the unnamed perpetrator responsible for the swatting call in an interview with CBS News.
Swatting, an illegal act of falsely reporting emergencies, often mobilizes law enforcement to respond under the assumption of extreme threats such as an active shooter scenario. "These actors will often have a reasonable scenario and will sometime include personal information," described the National 911 Program in its 2015 report, as per CBS News. The penalties for such pranks can be severe, ranging from misdemeanor to felony charges.
