Hermosa Beach Shooting Was SWATing Hoax

HERMOSA BEACH, CA - A report of a shooting with a suspect barricaded inside a home in Hermosa Beach turned out to be a hoax, police said.

Hermosa Police Department, along with Hawthorne, Redondo Beach and Manhattan Beach surround the 100 block of 31st Street after receiving the report at around 2 p.m., Hermosa police Capt. Milton McKinnon said.

The anonymous caller said several family members were killed in the home.

Police shut down Manhattan Avenue between 34th Street and 31st Street for about an hour while investigating the incident.

The home was found to be empty and all family members, who were out and about, were accounted for, police said.

The streets were finally reopened shortly before 4 p.m.

Hermosa police are investigating the incident and criminal charges could be brought as against the perpetrator. The caller was calling from a phone that could not be traced.

This is the first 'SWATing' incident in Hermosa Beach, thought the hoax has occurred in other South Bay cities.

--Photo courtesy of @awokenphotography