Holly Springs police investigate two prank calls that required tactical response

Holly Springs police are trying to identify the person or people who made two prank calls to 911 in the last week.

Police said the prank calls caused panic in two neighborhoods: Flatrock Lane in the Sunset Ridge neighborhood and the other was on Mabe Drive between the Autumn Park and Brayton Park neighborhoods.

The call to the Sunset Ridge neighborhood came on Sunday night, police said.

Police said swatting is when someone places a false 911 call that requires a fast, large response from law enforcement. Police believe the two incidents in Holly Springs are connected.

“We were startled,” resident Wayne Barber said.

On Sunday night, Holly Springs patrol cars lined the street with officers in tactical gear staging nearby Flatrock Lane.

“The shields in front of them and the long rifles and the helmets and all, all of that,” Barber said of Sunday’s incident.

The 911 call indicated the caller had shot and killed his wife and child. The call turned out to be a hoax, according to Holly Springs Police Chief Paul Liquorie.

“When we are talking about someone who is possibly armed, we have to be ready for that special contingency,” Liquorie said.

The call prompted officers to respond quickly and with their guns drawn to the home along Flatrock Lane.

The night of Feb. 17, police said a similar call happened on Mabe Drive between the Autumn Park and Brayton Park neighborhoods.

One of the calls prompted officers to respond quickly and with their guns drawn to a home on Flatrock Lane.

“Caller is advising he has shot his wife and child at this time,” according to a 911 dispatch from Holly Springs.

“These can be very dangerous situations,” Liquorie said.

Swatting calls have been tied to video gamers, sending police to an opponent’s home. The calls are also tied to criminals, who hack Ring doorbell cameras to make false calls.

“I think it’s very important that you take any call like that seriously and you act on it,” Barber said.

Liquorie says that’s exactly what they did. Now, investigators are analyzing phone records to find out who made the two calls and why.

“There’s enough similarities that we know they are connected,” Liquorie said.

Swatting, he says, is a waste of time and resources, slows down response times and puts officers on the highest alert.

“There is obviously room for error and that is why these are so dangerous,” Liquorie said.

Liquorie said the caller, no matter how young, will be held accountable in court.

“While this may seem fun or it’s a prank or for whatever their motivation is, this really has some real life consequences,” Liquorie said.

WRAL Investigates checked with law enforcement across Wake County. Swatting does not appear to be a widespread issue.

Law enforcement authorities said fake calls happen time to time, but very rarely result in a large-scale response.