‘Swatting’ call about gunman at Loma Linda hospital prompts massive police response, evacuations

Dozens of heavily armed deputies swarmed Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital on Wednesday night after a caller told officials he was planning on “shooting up” the San Bernardino County medical facility.

A man with a gun was believed to be in the pediatric emergency room.

Officials rushed to evacuate the hospital as reports of an active shooter spread on social media. Law enforcement surrounded the building, where a search was underway.

About 8 p.m., the county Sheriff’s Department issued an all-clear. The incident was the result of a “swatting” call, officials said in a statement.

Experts say such calls are not just disruptive but also dangerous, as law enforcement officers respond to areas believing an armed confrontation could occur. In 2023, the FBI formed a database to track cases and share the information with local agencies.

Authorities on Wednesday also noted the resources expended on a fake emergency.

“Law enforcement officers responded from two counties, taking away their ability to handle emergency calls in their own communities,” San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus said in a statement. “All of this caused by a hoax to falsely portray a catastrophic event.”

Investigators are searching for who made that call.

“Swatting calls and hoax threats are a daily occurrence,” the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said in a bulletin last year. They “often come in clusters across the U.S., and are typically made to harass, intimidate, and/or retaliate against their intended target.”

Past incidents have involved high-profile people, including celebrities, politicians, activists and public figures. Perpetrators have also targeted schools, hospitals, churches, voting locations and government buildings. Their motivations included personal grudges, racial hatred and political leanings. At times, the calls have had deadly consequences.

On Wednesday, the Sheriff’s Department issued an initial statement about 6:40 p.m. saying deputies were at the scene and clearing the facility in response to reports of a possible armed person.

Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital employees were evacuated after the report of a gunman, which was determined to have been a “swatting” incident.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

A text message alert was sent to students on campus and medical buildings nearby, saying, “This is not a drill: Initiate immediate protective actions. If confronted with a threat, RUN, HIDE, FIGHT,” according to reporting from ABC 7.

The 364-bed Children’s Hospital serves about 90,000 patients a year, according to its website.

Photos and videos shared on social media showed a massive response of law enforcement vehicles and helicopters, tying up traffic on surrounding streets.

A spokesperson for the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said swatting can cause panic-related injuries as officers swarm locations. Law enforcement must treat the incidents as real, the spokesperson said. Not doing so could also place the public at risk if the caller’s threat turns out to be real, she said.

According to Homeland Security, in January 2024 the FBI and National Counterterrorism Center tracked more than 100 separate threats to over 1,000 locations in 42 states during a one-month period.

Last month, a young Lancaster man was sentenced to four years in prison after he made nearly 400 swatting calls to high schools, universities, places of worship and government officials.

According to the criminal complaint, Alan W. Filion made the calls for amusement and hired out his services to others, touting on social media that he could get police to “drag the victim and their families out of the house and cuff them and search the house for dead bodies.”

In 2021, Los Angeles Police responded in full tactical gear to the home of Black Lives Matter L.A. co-founder Melina Abdullah after receiving a call from someone claiming they would shoot three hostages if they weren’t given a $1-million ransom.

Abdullah sued the city unsuccessfully, alleging that she and her children feared for their lives because of the police response, which her attorneys alleged was due to her activism.

More than a dozen officers and a helicopter were involved, even though during trial a sergeant testified he was “70%” sure the call was fake. Still, the officer said, he didn’t want to take the chance.

The Los Angeles Police Department had said a group of teenagers, motivated by racial hatred, were behind the swatting incidents.