A Miami-Dade family believes someone is repeatedly pranking them after police raided their Miami-Dade home for the second time.
According to Iris and Irania Hernandez, police responded to a call Monday night that claimed a mother had been shot inside their Southwest Miami-Dade home. The caller also said the gunman was still inside the property.
“They arrived, all pointing guns, and shouted for us to come out with our hands up,” said Irania Hernandez.
Irania believes the call was a prank, known to law enforcement as “swatting.”
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In a swatting incident, someone calls police to get a SWAT team to respond to a specific location, only for authorities to discover that it was a hoax after they arrive at the scene.
“My mother was upset; we were screaming and crying. We didn’t know what to do… with our hands in the air,” said Irania, who explained that when police arrived, her mother and 6-year-old son were left stunned.
Irania says this is the second time this has happened to them and claims her son has even suffered a panic attack as a result.
Miami-Dade Police confirmed they are aware of the situation and want to remind the public that swatting calls are a “serious detriment to law enforcement,” not only because they take up resources but also because they could even end in tragedy.
In Florida, a person can be charged with a second-degree felony if someone is injured as a result of a false emergency call, and a first-degree felony if someone dies.
“I don’t want there to be a third, fourth time. We need to focus on this matter and determine who the individual is that is causing trouble. This person should face consequences, including jail time,” Irania told NBC6.
MDPD has assigned a detective to this case.
This is a developing story. Check back with NBC6 for updates.
