Potential Multiple Swatting Perpetrator Arrested in Las Vegas
posted Saturday Feb 7, 2015 by Scott Ertz
A huge problem in the online gaming world, particularly within the streaming sector, is a phenomenon called swatting. In this, a person makes an illegal prank call to local emergency services for a game streamer. They then claim that, within the home of said streamer, a terrible crime has been committed or is in progress. A common claim is a murder or hostage situation. The home is then swarmed by the local SWAT team.
Obviously, this is both dangerous and stupid. First, it wastes the time and resources of local law enforcement. More importantly, though, it is massively dangerous for the people in the home. If a law enforcement officer is a little trigger happy, or there is a misfire on a weapon, people within the home can be injured or killed. Even if everything goes right, a person can be injured being taken to the ground, etc.
A fairly well-known incident on July 10, 2014, might have revealed a bigger problem. 19-year-old Brandon Wilson, who goes online by "Famed God," was arrested in Las Vegas in conjunction with the July event. Among the evidence for this incident found on Wilson's computer was evidence of his participation in other swatting events across the country.
In addition to the swatting evidence, there is evidence that Wilson threatened at least one other gamer and hacked into online accounts of two others, changing or stealing their information. It is possible that, with this information, he might have been looking for addresses for future "pranks."
Wilson is currently facing up to 5 years in prison for the variety of charges. He is currently waiting extradition to Illinois, as the crime falls within the state's jurisdiction.
