Apparent Hoax Leads To Police, SWAT Surrounding Home For Hours
ALIQUIPPA, Pa. (KDKA) - Police say officers surrounded a home in Aliquippa for hours after an alarming 911 call, only to find out hours later that the call was apparently a hoax.
Aliquippa's police chief told KDKA-TV that Beaver County 911 received a call around 1 a.m. Friday from a man who identified himself as "Carl" and said he had a family held up at gunpoint. Police say "Carl" said he needed $10,000 and a vehicle to take him to the airport.
Police responded by surrounding a home in the 100 block of Major Street. Police, SWAT and the Community Emergency Response Team were also called to the scene.
"I looked out the window and everything was surrounded," Talisa Kimbrew, a neighbor, said.
Neighbors felt confused as police told them to stay inside, away from the windows and doors.
After several hours of careful tactics, police made contact with the family living in the home. They had been asleep the entire time and had no idea what was happening outside. They were unharmed and never in any danger.
"It was a complete shock to have 32 SWAT members surrounding a house at 2:30 in the morning was a surprise. They were in bed asleep," Beaver County District Attorney David Lozier said.
Police cleared the scene shortly before 5 a.m.
Meanwhile, police traced a cell phone number to a home in the 1100 block of Elmira Street in Monaca.
Officers spoke with three individuals at that location.
Police say none of them have been arrested or charged with anything. They'll only say that they won't stop until they find whoever was responsible for this hoax.
"This cost the county and about five different police departments and the Pennsylvania State Police a lot a lot of money," Lozier said. "We have contact information, we have phone numbers. We're gonna find out where the call came from and prosecute if we can."
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