Detectives launch investigation into swatting call that forced Loma Linda hospital to evacuate
Authorities are still investigating the swatting call that forced the emergency evacuation of Loma Linda University Medical Center due on Wednesday evening.
The call was made at around 6 p.m. to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department, where dispatchers say the suspect told them "he was in front of Loma Linda Hospital armed and also had a bomb. He also stated he wanted to kill people and was planning on 'shooting up' everyone in the hospital.'
A massive amount of law enforcement responded to the hospital campus, which is located in the 11000 block of Anderson Street in Loma Linda, where they assisted with evacuating people from inside of the medical center. Among the hundreds of officers and deputies on scene were also SWAT team personnel, all visible with SkyCal overhead as the scene developed.
The hours-long ordeal finally came to an end at around 8:15 p.m., at which point authorities said that the hospital had been cleared and no threat had been located. They determined that the incident was a false report, sometimes referred to as a "swatting call."
"Swatting" is when someone knowingly submits a false report, typically posing as a witness to an active shooter, hostage, or home invasion situation. The caller often tries to coax law enforcement to send the largest response possible, including a SWAT team, according to the National 911 Program.
SBSD detectives are already working on identifying and locating the suspect, working in hand with the FBI. They say that they already have some evidence, but declined to offer further information.
"Law enforcement officers responded from two counties taking away their ability to handle emergency calls in their own communities. Patients and their families were subject to much more trauma than they were already going through," said SBSD Sheriff Shannon Dicus in a statement. "Terrified hospital staff went above and beyond to protect the patients. All of this caused by a hoax to falsely portray a catastrophic event. We are going to use every means necessary to identity the suspect or suspects responsible for this heinous crime and hold them accountable."
Anyone who knows more is asked to contact detectives at (909) 387-3545.
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