Stoughton Home Invasion Was A Hoax, Police Confirm

STOUGHTON, MA — Police responded to an incident on Pearl Street Friday morning that proved to be a hoax.

Stoughton Police Chief Donna McNamara confirmed that a report of a home invasion at a local residence was a swatting call. There was no home invasion or anyone at the home.

In addition to local police, State Police and a SWAT team were called to the scene before police learned that the report was a swatting call.

"In light of Officer Gannon's death, we thought this was an appropriate response to a dangerous call," McNamara said.

The chief said the phone number which initial report came from someone who had their identity stolen. Police do not know who the suspect is.

Initial reports indicated that the invasion included men with machine guns.

Swatting is when a person reports a fake threat with the purpose of provoking a large police response.

"This is unfortunately what we're dealing with. We're not the only community that's had swatting calls. This is a danger to not only the residents, but the officers that respond," McNamara said,

The original call came in at 10:28 a.m. and the scene was cleared by 1 p.m. During the investigation, the street was closed to area traffic, nearby businesses were closed, and schools were placed on lockdown.

The incident remains under police investigation.

This story will be updated if more information becomes available.

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