A 12-year-old Airdrie boy was the apparent victim of a "swatting" attempt involving the Medicine Hat Regional Hospital this week.

At approximately 9:15 p.m. on Tuesday, May 5, a male from St. Louis, Missouri alerted officials in Medicine Hat about a post on the website Reddit that contained threats against the hospital. The facility was placed on lockdown.

It's believed a 12-year-old boy who resides in Airdrie, but has ties to Medicine Hat, was playing online video games with other gamers throughout North America. One of the players became angry and said they were going to "swat" the boy, something that has been connected to other online gaming incidents in retaliation for losing.

"Swatting" involves someone making a prank call to emergency services in an attempt to get a large number of armed police officers to respond.

Medicine Hat police were able to trace the original threat against the hospital to an IP address in Seattle, Washington and say the Airdrie boy was the victim of the swatting attempt and had nothing to do with the threat itself.

Reddit removed the post and account associated with making the threat and the lockdown at the hospital was lifted once it was determined there was no danger.

The incident has prompted police to issue a warning to parents, urging them to speak with their kids about the dangers of online multiplayer gaming.

Medicine Hat police have offered the following tips for young gamers:

  • Asking for permission before using new apps/games
  • Not responding to or clicking on messages or links from someone they don’t know
  • Telling parents if they come across something or someone online who makes them feel uncomfortable
  • Not accepting requests from another gamer to chat on another site 

 

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