Joshua Peters, an Air Force Vet, was streaming Runescape and Clash of Clans on Twitch last week when he was “SWATted.” You may have heard a bit about this incident in this recent article on a man who got arrested for SWATting. Essentially, pranksters will call in a significant threat to the police that will warrant a SWAT team raid response at their target’s location.
Koopatroopa787 on Twitch had 60,000 people watching his stream at the time of the SWATting. He later came back to report that they were pointing guns at members of his family.
Video of when he realized he was being SWATted.
“I see you posting my address,” Peters says after the incident. “I had police point a gun at my little brothers because of you. They could have been shot, they could have died because you chose to SWAT my stream. I don’t give a s*** about what you have against me, or what I did to you. For that, I am at a loss for words. Your gripe is with me so let it be with me and do not involve my family in any way, shape or form with this. They don’t deserve that.”
What is SWATting?
SWATting is the act of falsely blaming a felony on somebody who did nothing wrong, particularly somebody who is on the air so viewers can witness the event. This usually comes in the form of police storming the streamer’s home with fully loaded, dangerous guns and making false arrests.
Generally, this makes all parties involved very unhappy. Streamers don’t want to deal with police arresting them or pointing guns at their family. Police don’t want to be squandering resources on streamers–who really aren’t worth their time.
Why can’t we just *not* do this?
“They could have been shot, they could have died because you chose to SWAT my stream.”
-Air Force Veteran
Seriously, SWATting is such an awful thing to do to a person. Imagine if the police actually shot somebody. People who SWAT just make me sick, and should be put up on charges akin to attempted murder.
Nobody deserves to go through an experience like that. Especially not for sharing something they love with all the world through Twitch. SWATting is not a joke–so why does everybody treat it like one?
Published: Feb 9, 2015 02:18 pm