Jacob Ward and Lora Kolodny report:
Author Patrick Tomlinson and his wife, business owner Niki Robinson, have been “swatted” at their home in Milwaukee more than 40 times, often resulting in police pointing guns at their heads. Their tormentors have also called in false bomb threats to venues using their names in three states. Yet law enforcement hasn’t been able to stop the calls.
How it started for the Tomlinson’s shows how even something that seems innocuous or just an online disagreement can escalate into a life-threatening situation. What’s not clear from the reporting is why they would still be swatted in their own homes. One would think that the police and FBI and all agencies would already have some kind of “flag” on their address much like reporter Brian Krebs needed to deal with in the past after becoming a target of swatters.
So the government is now trying to get some more information about the general problem, and that’s good. In the meantime, though…..?
Read more at NBC.