Glens Falls police respond to swatting incident

GLENS FALLS, N.Y. (NEWS10) - Over the weekend, Glens Falls Police responded to a reported hostage situation that was ultimately found to be a swatting incident. The incident included an alleged shooting and bomb threat at the apartments at 19 Elm St.

On Saturday, June 10, police responded to an anonymous call with unknown credibility reporting a shooting and hostage situation at 19 Elm St. The caller told police that explosives had been set up at the property, and would be detonated remotely if police arrived on the scene. The caller also claimed that officers would be shot upon arrival.

Police blocked off the area around the Elm Street apartment building, located adjacent to Downtown City Tavern and the Mill apartments. Police entered the building in order to perform evacuation, and were able to determine that the call was unsubstantiated. The specific apartment was found to not be the home of the resident the caller claimed was responsible for the alleged attack, and police found no evidence that any shooting or hostage situation had taken place. The person the caller claimed to be a hostage was safely located by Warren County police officers outside of Glens Falls.

The call was ultimately determined to be a swatting incident, which remains under investigation. Swatting is defined as a harassment tactic to create a police response to a nonexistent threat. Police are working to determine the source of the call that led to the response.