Tri-Cities officers from 3 agencies race to scene of ‘swatting’ incident
Police raced to a reported emergency at an address in the area of Crab Apple Circle in West Richland Saturday evening, only to determine the call was a “swatting” incident.
Someone had called in a false report to intentionally prompt an emergency law enforcement response.
The West Richland Police Department said officers who responded secured the area and conducted a thorough investigation before determining there was no threat to the safety of the people at that address or the surrounding community.
Richland police officers and Benton County deputies also responded to the address.
Shortly after 6:30 p.m. 911 dispatchers received a report that a person with a gun was threatening to kill their sister at a home. The call may have been linked to a cyber harassment issue.
“Unfortunately, incidents of swatting have become more common nationwide,” the department posted on Facebook. “These calls divert critical emergency resources and create unnecessary risk for both responders and community members.
A person who knowingly makes a false report leading to an emergency response in Washington state may be charged with a felony if someone is injured during the response. If no injury is caused, false reporting may be charged as a gross misdemeanor.
No further information was available over the weekend on the Saturday incident in West Richland.
The FBI recommends these steps to protect yourself from swatting:
- Review your online presence for sensitive personal information that could enable malicious actors to conduct a swatting attack.
- Exercise care when posting content — including photos and videos— or sharing it with individuals online. Although seemingly innocuous, images and videos can be exploited or manipulated by malicious actors for criminal activity.
- Consider online resources and services that may aid in reducing or removing sensitive publicly available information.
- Use strong, unique passwords, and multi-factor authentication on all devices and accounts, including smart home devices.
This story was originally published March 8, 2026 at 4:09 PM.