Juvenile arrested following swatting incident at Bossier school

BENTON, La. -- The Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday arrested a 13-year-old Bossier Parish resident in connection with a swatting incident that occurred at a school in Bossier Parish on May 14.

Swatting is a form of criminal false reporting in which an individual intentionally makes a false emergency call claiming there is an active threat in an effort to trigger a large-scale law enforcement response to a specific location. It's a growing nationwide trend, the sheriff's office said. 

“Swatting calls are not harmless pranks. These false reports put students, teachers, law enforcement officers, and the entire community at risk. When a call is received claiming an active threat on campus, law enforcement must respond as if the threat is real. This investigation demonstrates our commitment to holding individuals accountable for actions that create fear, disrupt our schools, and place lives in danger," Sheriff Julian Whittington said in a news release.

The Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office, in coordination with the Bossier City Police Department, began investigating a series of swatting calls made to a Bossier Parish School and a Bossier City home in May. The two incidents occurred three days apart and resulted in a joint investigation that identified the juvenile suspect, along with additional co-conspirators located in other parts of the United States, the sheriff's office said.

In this incident, more than 20 emergency response units were "needlessly" dispatched to the school. After an extensive response and investigation, authorities determined the threat was not credible, according to BPSO spokesman Sgt. Matthew Bertrand.

BPSO charged the teen with false communication with the intent to cause an emergency response and disruption of the operation of a school.

Additionally, the Bossier City Police Department arrested the same suspect for conspiracy to commit terrorizing.

The combined bonds total $661,000.