Police Arrest Teen Said to Be Linked to Hundreds of Swatting Attacks

[Stevicus]

Police Arrest Teen Said to Be Linked to Hundreds of Swatting Attacks

A California teenager who allegedly used the handle Torswats to carry out a nationwide swatting campaign is being extradited to Florida to face felony charges, WIRED has learned.

www.wired.com

A 17-year-old from California is allegedly the swatter known as Torswats, according to sources familiar with the investigation. The teenager is currently in custody and awaiting extradition from California to Seminole County, Florida. The Florida State Attorney’s Office tells WIRED that he faces four felony counts.

Seminole County, located in central Florida, had two high-profile swatting incidents within the last 12 months, including one targeting a mosque and another targeting a courthouse. Todd Brown, a spokesperson for Florida’s Office of the State Attorney in the 18th Circuit, confirmed the charges against the teen and his extradition. Brown says he will be prosecuted as an adult under Florida law. WIRED is withholding the 17-year-old’s name because he is a minor.

A 17-year-old teen from California. He will be extradited to Florida to stand trial as an adult.

There's been quite a rash of swatting incidents.

Since Christmas, swatters have targeted the homes of prominent politicians from both parties, judges handling cases involving former US president Donald Trump, and the director of the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

Prior to these high-profile swats, a relentless campaign from different, potentially foreign, swatting groups targeted hundreds of schools and universities around the US over the past year and a half. Last May, an officer in Danvers, Massachusetts, accidentally fired his service weapon while responding to a school swat. In February, an officer in Saginaw Township, Michigan, rammed his vehicle through the school’s locked door to get inside the building following a swatting call.

The article gives some detail as to how swatting works.

In private Telegram chats seen by WIRED, an individual behind the Torswats account described their method for carrying out school swattings. After proxying their network traffic through a commercial VPN, the individual would look up the school in every county they targeted using the Public School Review website to find each address. They then would Google the phone number for the nearest police department and use Google Voice to place calls. While most of this appeared to be done on an Android device, they would occasionally use a digital sound board on their PC to introduce gunshot sounds that appeared to be recorded from the video game Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.

“State and local law enforcement often feel like a swatter is doing something sophisticated, and that’s just often not the case,” Keven Hendricks, a cybercrime expert and swatting investigator, tells WIRED. In November, Torswats claimed to have swatted Hendricks and his family. Hendricks declined to comment about the swatting.

During a hoax call allegedly placed by Torswats and obtained by WIRED that targeted La Plata High School in Charles County, Maryland, last year, the school resource officer informed the caller that he was under an active investigation. “I am never going to be caught,” the caller laughed. “I am invincible.”

“I am never going to be caught,” the caller laughed. “I am invincible.”

It did take a two-year investigation to finally catch this guy, but it does appear there are quite a few holes in the system.

 

[Twilight Hue]

Police Arrest Teen Said to Be Linked to Hundreds of Swatting Attacks

A California teenager who allegedly used the handle Torswats to carry out a nationwide swatting campaign is being extradited to Florida to face felony charges, WIRED has learned.

www.wired.com

A 17-year-old teen from California. He will be extradited to Florida to stand trial as an adult.

There's been quite a rash of swatting incidents.



The article gives some detail as to how swatting works.



“I am never going to be caught,” the caller laughed. “I am invincible.”

It did take a two-year investigation to finally catch this guy, but it does appear there are quite a few holes in the system.

What a dumb ***.

 

[☆Dreamwind☆]

Good. I'm glad to hear it, people who do this sort of thing have a serious lack of intelligence, empathy, and sympathy for others. Bad enough some of these little wretches got an innocent man killed a few years back and didn't show an ounce of remorse. I don't get why they think it's funny?

 

[Revoltingest]

It's a commentary on policing that
sending these "public servants" to
someone's home is a deadly threat.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

It's a commentary of policing that
sending these "public servants" to
someone's home is a deadly threat.

Well, in this case, it's understandable as the people carrying out the hoax make it seem like it's a life or death situation, saying there's an active shooting going on. So the police go in expecting a violent encounter already. The goal is to get the SWAT team sent. Like the article said, he had a soundboard playing gunshots in the background.

 

[Revoltingest]

Well, in this case, it's understandable as the people carrying out the hoax make it seem like it's a life or death situation, saying there's an active shooting going on. So the police go in expecting a violent encounter already. The goal is to get the SWAT team sent. Like the article said, he had a soundboard playing gunshots in the background.

Their de-escalation mode
would be turned off.

 

[Regiomontanus]

Police Arrest Teen Said to Be Linked to Hundreds of Swatting Attacks

A California teenager who allegedly used the handle Torswats to carry out a nationwide swatting campaign is being extradited to Florida to face felony charges, WIRED has learned.

www.wired.com

A 17-year-old teen from California. He will be extradited to Florida to stand trial as an adult.

There's been quite a rash of swatting incidents.



The article gives some detail as to how swatting works.



“I am never going to be caught,” the caller laughed. “I am invincible.”

It did take a two-year investigation to finally catch this guy, but it does appear there are quite a few holes in the system.

Look, of course this is some messed up stuff he has been engaged in. But, people, he is 17. Please, can't we agree a young man can be given a second chance, after some treatment and/or counseling? I was a **** up at 17.

Teen Brain Development: Timeline, Effects, Factors

Several processes occur during adolescent brain development that influence how teenagers act, react, feel, and think.

www.healthline.com

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

Look, of course this is some messed up stuff he has been engaged in. But, people, he is 17. Please, can't we agree a young man can be given a second chance, after some treatment and/or counseling? I was a **** up at 17.

Teen Brain Development: Timeline, Effects, Factors

Several processes occur during adolescent brain development that influence how teenagers act, react, feel, and think.

www.healthline.com

You would have tried to get someone killed at 17? At 17, you know right from wrong. A 17 year old isn't any different from an 18 year old, except the number.

It's a criminal offense to make false reports to law enforcement and this wastes thousands of dollars of public funds per incident. Plus, besides the threat to life, there's also the psychological trauma of such events, both for the people at the locations targeted and also the law enforcement. The cops will think they are rushing into a deadly situation where there may be hostages held at gunpoint, or someone is shooting and people have already died, or there's a bomb, etc. Then of course the people at the locations have no clue what's happening and their confused responses can be interpreted as a threat by law enforcement. They target schools, houses of worship, public offices, people's homes, etc.

This is a very serious crime. He needs to serve time for this.

 

[Soandso]

This is a very serious crime. He needs to serve time for this.

This ^^^

I was up to trouble at 17, but I wasn't trying to kill anyone

 

[☆Dreamwind☆]

Look, of course this is some messed up stuff he has been engaged in. But, people, he is 17. Please, can't we agree a young man can be given a second chance, after some treatment and/or counseling? I was a **** up at 17.

Teen Brain Development: Timeline, Effects, Factors

Several processes occur during adolescent brain development that influence how teenagers act, react, feel, and think.

www.healthline.com

At that age, he knows precisely what he is doing, and what it could result in. Why should people like this get away with terrorizing, injuring, and murdering others for a lark or petty revenge? He ruined his own future.

 

[Regiomontanus]

You would have tried to get someone killed at 17? At 17, you know right from wrong. A 17 year old isn't any different from an 18 year old, except the number.

It's a criminal offense to make false reports to law enforcement and this wastes thousands of dollars of public funds per incident. Plus, besides the threat to life, there's also the psychological trauma of such events, both for the people at the locations targeted and also the law enforcement. The cops will think they are rushing into a deadly situation where there may be hostages held at gunpoint, or someone is shooting and people have already died, or there's a bomb, etc. Then of course the people at the locations have no clue what's happening and their confused responses can be interpreted as a threat by law enforcement. They target schools, houses of worship, public offices, people's homes, etc.

This is a very serious crime. He needs to serve time for this.

How long do you think this young man should sit in a cell? And what is in society's best interest here?

 

[Regiomontanus]

At that age, he knows precisely what he is doing, and what it could result in. Why should people like this get away with terrorizing, injuring, and murdering others for a lark or petty revenge? He ruined his own future.

I never suggested "getting away with it." Let's not ruin this young man's life, that is all I am saying. Everyone deserves a second chance.

 

[Twilight Hue]

I never suggested "getting away with it." Let's not ruin this young man's life, that is all I am saying. Everyone deserves a second chance.

How many 17 year olds do things like this?

He intentionally ruined other people's lives ,so I would say that determination would be left to those he victimized as to weither he deserves a second chance or not.

 

[Regiomontanus]

How many 17 year olds do things like this?

He intentionally ruined other people's lives ,so I would say that determination would be left to those he victimized as to weither he deserves a second chance or not.

You seem to have a dark view of human nature. Love is always the answer, brother.

 

[Laniakea]

Look, of course this is some messed up stuff he has been engaged in. But, people, he is 17. Please, can't we agree a young man can be given a second chance, after some treatment and/or counseling? I was a **** up at 17.

Teen Brain Development: Timeline, Effects, Factors

Several processes occur during adolescent brain development that influence how teenagers act, react, feel, and think.

www.healthline.com

As the thread title indicates, this kid blew hundreds of chances. He used up his second chance long ago.

 

[Laniakea]

How long do you think this young man should sit in a cell? And what is in societies best interest here?

It's in society's best interest to not have someone out there trying to get people killed for the fun of it. This kid proved hundreds of times that he has no problem with doing such things--until he gets caught.

 

[Eddi]

It did take a two-year investigation to finally catch this guy, but it does appear there are quite a few holes in the system.

I hope this person pays for his crimes

 

[ADigitalArtist]

I never suggested "getting away with it." Let's not ruin this young man's life, that is all I am saying. Everyone deserves a second chance.

What does a second chance look like to you if you don't mind my asking?

I think it's true that prison in the US can have a very deleterious effect on people's lives because we favor a retribution instead of rehabilitation style justice. So what I would hope for this and even people who are not young is some court mandated therapy and restrictions with goals in mind, instead of just an allotment of punishment.

But I do think restrictions as well as requiring his separation and cooperation in changing this behavior is a must to keep other people safe. This is not normal 17 year old behavior and shouldn't be normalized.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Look, of course this is some messed up stuff he has been engaged in. But, people, he is 17. Please, can't we agree a young man can be given a second chance, after some treatment and/or counseling? I was a **** up at 17.

Teen Brain Development: Timeline, Effects, Factors

Several processes occur during adolescent brain development that influence how teenagers act, react, feel, and think.

www.healthline.com

Me too but I never endangered anyone's life. What he did was especially cruel and heinous and he's clearly too dangerous to be out in the general public.
He at least needs years of house arrest, probation and court ordered therapy.

 

[Laniakea]

Me too but I never endangered anyone's life. What he did was especially cruel and heinous and he's clearly too dangerous to be out in the general public.
He at least needs years of house arrest, probation and court ordered therapy.

House arrest should include revocation of his internet privileges.