Police investigate swatting incident Thursday evening at Marshfield Medical Center
MARSHFIELD − Marshfield police are investigating an apparent swatting call late Thursday night after a man claimed he had multiple bombs and a gun at Marshfield Medical Center.
According to a police report, a call came in at about 10:53 p.m. Thursday that a man called the hospital and said he had six bombs in the hospital, and he was outside with a gun in route to the emergency room to shoot people. The man said he was from Marshfield and then claimed he was already inside a bathroom in the emergency room with pipe bombs and a gun, according to the report.
Officers arrived to the emergency room and cleared the area and did not find anyone, according to the report. Officers then cleared the area with a bomb-sniffing dog and no explosives were found, according to the report.
Officers made contact with the man identified as the suspect who had been at work at the time and cooperated with police, according to the report.
Police Chief Jody Geurink told a Marshfield News-Herald reporter Friday morning officers confirmed there were no bombs or any real threats to anyone.
The investigation remains active, Geurink said.
John Gardner, director of communications for Marshfield Clinic Health System, told a Marshfield News-Herald reporter the system appreciates law enforcement's prompt response in investigating the matter, and there was no disruption to patient care.
Lorrie Krokstrom, the administrative services supervisor at the Marshfield Police Department, told a Marshfield News-Herald reporter Friday afternoon that according to police records, Marshfield officers were on the scene until 12:43 a.m. Friday.
Swatting is a form of harassment where a person makes a false or malicious report to public safety, causing authorities to respond to a location where no emergency exists.
"Often, the law enforcement response is substantial, with police confronting the unsuspecting victims at gunpoint, only to learn that there is no real emergency," according to the National 911 Program.
Swatting incidents have surged in recent years with threats being made to high-profile political figures, religious institutions, schools and hospitals.
More Marshfield news: 3 charged with stealing $114,550 in ATM 'jackpotting' theft from Marshfield credit union
USA TODAY contributed to this story.
Contact Caitlin at cshuda@gannett.com or follow her on Twitter @CaitlinShuda.
This article originally appeared on Marshfield News-Herald: Bomb threat at Marshfield Medical Center: No one hurt in swatting call
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