Former White House adviser Steve Bannon was the victim of “swatting” this morning at his D.C. townhouse:
Former White House adviser Steve Bannon was the victim of a "swatting" incident at his D.C. home, which is just steps away from the U.S. Capitol and Supreme Court.https://t.co/VRcvKYX9lr
— ABC 13 News – WSET (@ABC13News) July 8, 2022
According to reports, someone placed a 911 call “to report an individual with a mental health crisis” and that “he was making threats that he shot someone”:
HEAVY police presence centered on the block of A St NE btwn 2nd & 3rd. MPD says they’re responding “to a report of an individual with a mental health crisis. He was making threats that he shot someone. No victim has been found.”
Officer told me a man claimed to have “a rifle” pic.twitter.com/gQt5N86eAb
— Frank Thorp V (@frankthorp) July 8, 2022
Wow. Thankfully nobody was injured:
MPD and @CapitolPolice are on scene in the area of 3rd and A Street, NE for a call for service. After further investigation, no shots were fired and there is no active threat to the community. There are no reported injuries. The scene will be cleared momentarily.
— DC Police Department (@DCPoliceDept) July 8, 2022
But it was tense for a while there:
There’s some confusion on the scene here, one officer just opened a road close to the scene to pedestrians, but another officer pushed us back again, saying the man claimed to have a “high powered rifle” and is threatening to “shoot everyone.”
— Frank Thorp V (@frankthorp) July 8, 2022
Cops, however, won’t confirm that Bannon was the target and not just a coincidence:
MPD confirms that the false 911 call prompting a massive police presence in NE Washington did involve Steve Bannon's residence, but hedges that it's unclear whether the caller knew it was Bannon's home or a coincidence.
— Liz Brown-Kaiser (@lizbrownkaiser) July 8, 2022
Yeah, okay:
"It does appear that the residence that this person called on is the residence of Steve Bannon," MPD Public Information Officer Brianna Burch told me. "We just don't have confirmation on whether that was officially targeted or not."
— Liz Brown-Kaiser (@lizbrownkaiser) July 8, 2022
Bannon told one reporter on the scene that the “police were terrific”:
NEWS: @kate_santaliz just spotted MPD speaking to Steve Bannon, who says the “police were terrific”. The false police report to respond appears to have been to his house.
— Frank Thorp V (@frankthorp) July 8, 2022
***
Related:
Rick Wilson is afraid Steve Bannon will flee the country and wants his passport seized
Trump-appointed Judge Carl J. Nichols is not exactly good news for Steve Bannon
Join the conversation as a VIP Member