Teens from Connecticut and New York were charged for swatting in Central Florida.
“Swatting” calls are false reports of violent emergencies that are intended to elicit a response from law enforcement, particularly from SWAT units.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office has arrested two teen suspects from New York and Connecticut in connection with two swatting incidents in Poinciana. The accused are Cardiere Martin, 15, of East Hartford, Connecticut, and Isaiah Reyes, 14, of Syracuse, New York.
“Swatting is a serious and dangerous crime, and often results from on-line gaming and arguments,” said Sheriff Grady Judd. “If you do this to a resident of Polk County, Florida, we will track you down and hold you accountable. It doesn’t matter where you are, or how old you are, we are going to come after you and hold you responsible for wasting law enforcement resources and endangering people.”
Gunshots were reported at a residence on Pilchard Drive in Poinciana, prompting PCSO deputies to respond. The caller presented himself as a 12-year-old child who resided in the house.
Deputies arrived and soon verified that there had been no gunshots and that the child who lived in the residence had not made the call.
On the following night, the PCSO replied to a second call to the same address on Pilchard Drive; this time, the caller claimed to have murdered his family with a shotgun. Again, the report was untrue.
PCSO police discovered that the boy at the residence had been playing Fortnite online with pals he had met through the Discord servers. The accused were believed to be angry with the victim’s performance in the game.
Detectives were able to trace the calls back to the two suspects.
The two suspects were apprehended and transferred to Polk County thanks to collaboration with the PCSO, the Department of Juvenile Justice, Florida’s 10th Judicial Circuit, East Hartford Police, and Syracuse Police.
Cardiere Martin and Isaiah Reyes were both booked into the Polk County Jail.
Both individuals were charged with False Report Concerning the Violent Use of Firearms and Unlawful Use of a 2-Way Communications Device.