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Calgary police issue warrant for swatting call last month

Jan 9, 2018 | 3:08 PM

CALGARY, AB — The Calgary Police Service has issued a warrant for a Los Angeles man in connection with a swatting incident in the city last month.

Warrants have been issued for Tyler Raj Barriss, 25, for one count each of public mischief for falsely reporting an offence had been committed, one count of fraud and another count of mischief.

On Dec. 22, at approximately 7:40 p.m., Calgary 911 received a call from a man who claimed he had shot his father and was holding his mother and younger brother hostage. The caller provided information leading officers to believe the incident occurred at an address in the 2033 block of 17b Street Southwest. Officers from both the patrol and tactical unit quickly attended the residence, contained the scene and began evacuating nearby units.

While officers were on scene trying to confirm the reported information, Calgary 911 received another call from a woman who lived at the address, who believed she was a victim of a swatting call. The woman exited the residence and officers confirmed the initial report of a hostage situation and shooting was false.

Police believe believed the woman was targeted because of her online persona.

The Calgary Police service Cyber/Forensics Unit took over the investigation, identifying a suspect who had made contact online with the victim earlier in the day.

Barriss is also accused in a separate swatting incident in Wichita, Kansas on Dec. 28, which resulted in police shooting 28-year-old Andrew Finch. Barriss is in custody in connection with the incident, awaiting extradition to Kansas.

Swatting involves people making false reports to police with the goal of getting a SWAT team to descend on an address.

Calgary Police say they take swatting calls seriously and will investigate each incident thoroughly. Swatting calls have the potential to create significant risks for both public and officer safety and can require an extensive amount of resources to respond and investigate. Police say a substantial amount of resources were required to contain the scene and protect citizens.