STURTEVANT, Wis. (WFRV) – Authorities in southern Wisconsin are investigating a significant swatting incident stemming from a late-morning call on Friday.
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The Racine County Sheriff’s Office reported that a phone call around 11:21 a.m. claimed multiple explosives were present at a building near Highway 11 and 99th Street in Sturtevant.
The caller also claimed there were guns involved with multiple people dead and hostages, with the dispatcher reportedly hearing screaming in the background, prompting a significant response from local agencies, including the following:
- Racine County Sheriff’s Office
- Racine County SWAT Team
- Mount Pleasant Police Department
- Caledonia Police Department
- Racine Police Department
- Wisconsin State Patrol
- Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
- Kenosha Sheriff’s Office
- South Shore Fire Department
- Ascension Healthcare System—activated mass-casualty protocols
- Aurora Healthcare System—activated mass-casualty protocols
The agencies arrived and searched numerous businesses; however, no victims or signs of criminal activity were found anywhere, and the incident was deemed to be a false report or a swatting incident.
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Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling released a statement concerning the false report:
“The Racine County Sheriff’s Office takes all such reports seriously due to the potential risk to public safety and the significant resources required to respond. Swatting incidents divert critical emergency resources from real emergencies and place a heavy burden on law enforcement and first responders.”
Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling
Officials say that anybody with information is urgently asked to contact Racine County Sheriff’s Office Investigator Andrew Sparks by email.
