Rogers City Police, Other Agencies Respond to Swatting Incident

ROGERS CITY — The Rogers City Police Department said it and other agencies responded Thursday to what turned out to be a fake swatting incident at a home on South Second Street in Rogers City.

On Thursday, around 8 p.m., police received a call from a person who claimed to have stabbed his mother and who said he had a firearm ready to shoot any law enforcement officers who responded to the home.

However, when police arrived at the residence and spoke to those present, they determined the report was false.

While the incident remains under investigation, police believe someone obtained a Rogers City address while playing an online video game with someone from South Second, then called to make a false report in an attempt to provoke a major police response.

Such false reports, intended to provoke massive police intervention, are known as “swatting.”

“These dangerous pranks put lives at risk and divert critical resources from real emergencies,” the Rogers Police Department said in a statement Friday.

“The Rogers City Police Department is currently working to identify the individual responsible for this act which, if located, will result in serious legal consequences,” the statement said.

The Presque Isle County Sheriff’s Office, Huron Undercover Narcotics Team, Alpena County Sheriff’s Office and Michigan State Police-Alpena Station assisted the Rogers City Police Department.

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