Twitch Gamer Gets ‘Swatted’ at PHX
Ryan Boyd May 02, 2017
Phoenix, US - May 23, 2015: American Airlines and USAirways airplanes in Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport, Arizona
On Thursday, Twitch video game streamer Paul Denino (known as Ice_Poseidon in the gaming community) was “swatted” after members of the gaming community called in a bomb threat to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX), from which Denino was slated to depart before being escorted from his flight. “Swatting” refers to a prank wherein a SWAT team or other law enforcement agency is phoned with bogus threats, resulting in a gamer’s home being invaded by the authorities, usually on-camera to be seen by others on a livestream.
“I’m considering not streaming Dreamhack [an international gaming conference] because I’m afraid,” said Denino. “If someone’s willing to do that on a f***ing plane, what’s to stop them from doing it at Dreamhack?”
To read more on this story, go to Vice Motherboard.
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