South Florida

Police Respond to Swatting Calls at Multiple South Florida College Campuses

Hundreds of cases of swatting occur annually, with some using caller ID spoofing to disguise their number. The goal is to get authorities, particularly a SWAT team, to respond to an address

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Police were responding to swatting calls at multiple South Florida college campuses Tuesday.

The incidents began with a report of a false active shooter at Florida International University's main campus in Miami-Dade.

Police swarmed the campus and evacuated multiple buildings before determining the report was a hoax.

At City College Hollywood, police responded to what they called a swatting call at the building at 6565 Taft Street.

Footage showed multiple officers surrounding the college to investigate.

No injuries were found to students or staff during the incident, Hollywood Police officials later said.

Fort Lauderdale Police also responded to a "suspicious call" at a building on Las Olas Boulevard that houses Florida Atlantic University and Broward College.

"We are working to confirm the validity of the call as well as the ensuring the safety of everyone in the area," police tweeted. "We will update as soon as we have more information."

Police later said they'd cleared the building and didn't find evidence of a shooting or anyone injured.

Further north, at Palm Beach Atlantic University in Palm Beach County, officials said they also received a false call of an active shooter.

Indian River State College also received a hoax call of an active shooter Tuesday at their campus in Fort Pierce.

Hundreds of cases of swatting occur annually, with some using caller ID spoofing to disguise their number. The goal is to get authorities, particularly a SWAT team, to respond to an address.

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