Spring man says swatting caller claimed to be him and told police he threatened to kill his family
SPRING, Texas (KTRK) -- A Spring man has told ONLY ABC13 that he was a swatting call victim after he said he woke up to pounding on his door and then handcuffs on his wrists.
According to Troy Taylor, law enforcement responded to his home in the late-night hours Tuesday, accusing him of threatening to kill his family and then himself.
Harris County Precinct 4 deputy constables were captured on Taylor's doorbell camera approaching his front door as he, his wife, their son, and his mother slept in their beds.
"Next thing I know, I hear a banging at the door. When I get to the door, I see a bright, shiny light outside of my door, but I can't see anybody when I look through my blinds," Taylor said.
What could be seen on Taylor's doorbell camera footage is law enforcement in tactical gear, armed with weapons. Taylor said he opened the door, stepped out, was cuffed, and officers started demanding answers.
"'You know what we're here for,' and I'm like, 'No, I don't,'" Taylor said.
After about an hour of sitting in a Precinct 4 patrol car while his family was interviewed, Taylor said he was let go.
According to him, the deputy constables informed him he was a victim of swatting, meaning someone sent in a digital tip pretending to be Taylor, claiming he was about to kill his family and himself.
"If it's a prank, it's not a good prank because you're affecting people's lives," Taylor said.
He doesn't know why he would be the target of a call like this.
"I just really had a hard time sleeping. I'm still kind of shaky about it because what do (swat callers) do next?" Taylor asked.
According to the FBI, people who make fake swatting calls are often serial offenders and may escalate their behavior to other digital crimes such as identity theft.
SEE MORE: FBI creates a national database to track swatting
ABC13 contacted Precinct 4 multiple times to learn more about the alleged swatting call and never heard back.
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