A 16-year-old boy was arrested following a ‘swatting’ incident where he called 911 multiple times in Grayslake, including one call in which he reported someone was about to be shot.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office responded around 2:20 p.m. Wednesday to a 911 hang-up call at an apartment complex in the 33600 block of North Royal Oak Lane in unincorporated Grayslake.
The call was made by a cell phone and the caller shut the phone off immediately after calling. Sheriff’s deputies checked numerous apartments and there was no indication of anyone needing any help, Lake County Sheriff Spokesman Sgt. Christopher Covelli said.
Then, at around 4:30 p.m., another 911 call was received by the Lake County Sheriff’s Emergency Communications Center. This time, a caller said that they were being held against their will, injured and observed a firearm, Covelli said.
The caller provided an apartment number, hung up, and shut off their phone. Sheriff’s deputies responded back and checked the specific apartment, but again, there were no signs of anyone in distress.
Just over an hour later at 5:45 p.m., the Lake County Sheriff’s Emergency Communications Center received another 911 call, this time the caller said they were about to be shot. The caller then hung up and again shut off their phone, Covelli said.
Through advanced software, sheriff’s telecommunicators were able to pinpoint the exact apartment number the caller was calling from, which was different than the initially reported apartment.
When sheriff’s deputies entered the apartment, they found a 16-year-old boy, who admitted to making the prank phone calls to 911. He was arrested and is being petitioned to the juvenile court system on two counts of false reporting to 911, a Class 4 felony, Covelli said.