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Thousand Oaks “Swatting” suspect pleads guilty
By Ventura County Sheriff Department — Wednesday, November 6th, 2013
 Ventura County Sheriff's Department An Athol, Massachusetts man was sentenced to 30 months in prison for making false reports of an emergency to elicit a response from emergency services to a specific location. These types of incidents are commonly known as “Swatting.” “Swatting” is a term used when a caller reports an immediate dangerous crime in order to elicit a substantial police response to a specific location, typically in order to harass someone. From September 2012 through mid-January 2013, Hanshaw made “swatting” calls to emergency services in Denver, Colorado; Waverly, New York; and to the Ventura Sheriff’s Office’s Communication Center in Ventura. In the January 2nd 2013 call to the Sheriff’s Office, Hanshaw stated he was armed with an AK-47 and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. Hanshaw demanded money and a helicopter ride to Mexico and threatened to detonate a bomb and kill hostages if those demands were not met. Hanshaw also threatened to kill law enforcement personnel who arrived at the location. Sheriff’s Deputies and detectives along with Agents from the FBI, Department of Defense and personnel from the Ventura County Fire Department, responded to the call which utilized resources that could have otherwise been used for legitimate calls in the community. The FBI assumed the lead in the investigation and with assistance from the Massachusetts State Police and detectives from the East County Major Crimes Unit, Hanshaw was identified as the suspect in the case. Hanshaw pled guilty in Federal Court to a three count complaint of making interstate threats, threats to use explosives and threats to use a firearm. Nature of Incident: Thousand Oaks “Swatting” suspect pleads guilty |
