WASHINGTON — A false emergency call late Friday night prompted a large police and medical response to the Kalorama home of former President Barack Obama, in what authorities say was another instance of “swatting.”
The Metropolitan Police Department received the call around 10:50 p.m., reporting that a shooting had occurred at the address. Responders from D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services, including a paramedic engine, medic supervisor, and ambulance, were dispatched alongside uniformed Secret Service personnel already assigned to the property. The Obamas’ residence is under round-the-clock Secret Service protection.
Swatting is a dangerous prank in which a person makes a hoax emergency report — often claiming an active shooter, hostage situation, or other violent incident — in order to draw a heavily armed law enforcement response to someone’s home. The practice can endanger residents, responding officers, and bystanders, as police may act on the belief that a serious crime is underway.
Friday’s incident is not the first false alarm at the former president’s home. In June of last year, Taylor Tarranto, a man linked to the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot, was arrested in the same neighborhood. Tarranto had been livestreaming as he walked near the Obamas’ residence and other locations in Washington, making statements that authorities described as threats involving explosives. He was later charged in connection with his actions and had a history of posting inflammatory content online.
No injuries were reported in the latest incident, and officials have not released information about any suspects in the swatting call.
