FARGO (KFGO) – A bogus phone call received by the Red River Regional Dispatch Center in Fargo came from a man who said he was armed, tied up his family in a basement and wanted to speak with a hostage negotiator.
KFGO News has obtained a recording of the phone call received late Tuesday afternoon. The man told a dispatcher that he was holed up inside a house in Hawley, Minn., sending deputies and other officers rushing to the scene.
“Swatting” is the term used when phony calls are made to emergency dispatch centers, resulting in the activation of a “SWAT” team.
Clay County Sheriff Mark Empting says Hawley police, deputies, the Minnesota State Patrol and Red River SWAT were among those who responded to the bogus call.
Deputies spoke with the homeowner in Hawley, who allowed them to search his home, where they found nothing out of the ordinary.