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Gamers 'prank' each other by calling in real life SWAT team, webcam captures fallout

"If the investigation determines that today’s incident was a hoax, those involved will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," say local police.

By Matt Bradwell
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LITTLETON, Colo., Aug. 29 (UPI) -- Police in Colorado are not laughing after the SWAT team was called to a professional gamer's office as a prank.

While playing a game of Counter-Strike Wednesday, Jordan Mathewson of the The Creatures gaming collective was the victim of "swatting" -- when a rival gamer fakes a real life emergency situation so serious it requires the SWAT team.

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"I knew almost right away what exactly was happening," Mathewson told ABC 7 Denver.

"But I was still frightened you know, having some guns pointed at you isn't exactly the most common thing. We hadn't experienced [swatting] but we knew of people who had experienced it in the past ... I've heard people say that I appear to be amused, but I really didn't have any control over myself at the time. I was just terrified and I really don't know what was going through my head."

The entire ordeal was captured on Mathewson's webcam and live streamed to those he was gaming with.

"The caller claimed to have shot two co-workers, held others hostage, and threatened to shoot them," Littleton Police said in a statement. "He stated that if the officers entered he would shoot them as well."

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"There were no victims or any evidence that a shooting had taken place. If the investigation determines that today's incident was a hoax, those involved will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."

An individual known only by the Twitter handle @ScrewPain has taken responsibility for the call, but that claim has not been verified.

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