Armed SWAT team raids US home after Call of Duty hoax

A Call of Duty player has had his house raided by a US SWAT team after a prank call from a defeated opponent.

New York Post reports that over 60 armed officers and a helicopter were called to a Long Beach home after a telephone tip-off claiming that hoax victim, 17 year old Rafael Castillo, had just killed his mother and might shoot more people”.

Police had gathered outside of the property and spent 20 minutes trying to summon Castillo, who remained oblivious as he was wearing headphones and still playing the game.

Castillo later told police that a defeated opponent in a game of Call of Duty had threatened to SWAT him”.

‘Swatting’ is the term used by some for tricking the emergency services into attending a fictional crime scene.

Police – who surely mistakenly reckon that the hoaxer was able to determine Castillo’s home address via his IP address – say they are attempting to locate the hoaxer by tracing his electronic footprints”.