TOCCOA, Ga. — Law enforcement officers from multiple agencies have cleared the scene of a residence on Highway 123 in Toccoa after determining a 911 call of a barricaded gunman with hostages was a false alarm commonly known as “swatting”.
Early reporting from Now Habersham and Steve Fournier, a former press photographer, revealed a large law enforcement response along Highway 123 in Toccoa on Thursday. The initial incident temporarily shut down part of the roadway and alarmed nearby residents.
Fournier, who lives nearby, told Now Habersham he observed approximately 25 law enforcement vehicles at the height of the response. Officers established a perimeter and positioned snipers with long rifles trained on a home roughly 200 yards from Fournier’s residence.
“They had long rifle positions set up as far as where I live,” he said. “It was pretty freaky there for a few minutes.”
According to Toccoa Police Chief Bruce Carlisle, a male caller claimed he had “hostages and sniper rifles” and demanded that police “send in S.W.A.T.” before hanging up. “Attempts to make contact with the caller proved futile,” Carlisle said in a 3:00 p.m. update.
Multiple agencies, including the Stephens County Sheriff’s Office, Georgia State Patrol, and Georgia Bureau of Investigation, assisted the Toccoa Police Department at the scene.
“Contact was made with the occupant, and a subsequent search determined that there were no hostages and no sniper rifle,” Carlisle said. “One male was the only one in the residence.”
Investigators are actively working to determine more information about the initial call.
