A massive police response early Sunday morning in San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter was the result of an unfounded emergency or “swatting”-type incident, San Diego police said.
Officials provided few details about the incident, which began sometime before 3:50 a.m. on J Street between Fourth and Fifth avenues, according to a San Diego Police Department post on the social media site X. Officers remained at the scene until about 11 a.m., according to the department.
A police spokesperson said the call turned out to be “like a swatting incident” that involved reported threats, but did not provide further details. In a follow-up post on X, the department said it conducted an extensive investigation and “determined the reported claims were unfounded.”
A typical swatting call often involves a 911 caller reporting a fake emergency in order to draw a police SWAT response to a particular address without cause.
Social media users reported early Sunday that dozens of police vehicles and heavily armed officers swarmed the area, which is about three blocks northwest of Petco Park.