Ludwig Speaks Out After Being Swatted Live On Stream
YouTuber Ludwig Ahgren has spoken out after being swatted live on stream during a chess tournament. The incident took place on Sunday, August 28, and he was away from his setup for around 55 minutes while police searched his premises.
What Has Ludwig Said About The Swatting?
Although the actual stream where the incident took place has been taken down, Ludwig himself has posted a new video that shows police entering his home.
He confirmed that everything is fine, and that he isn't shaken up or distraught following the incident. It took place during a chess match online, and during a break he got up to go upstairs to refill his water bottle. As he did so, he was 'met with the gun of a police officer'. The police then took him outside while they checked his home. He did state that it was a 'bit of a bummer' that his chess tournament was delayed as a result.
However, he did point out the 'ineptitude' of the police department in LA, saying: "Every time they come, they take it very seriously at first. Eight squad cars, two fire trucks, one helicopter... going around. Because there's some made-up story that the person who's swatted will say. Some BS.... And then what happens, and I've realised where the ineptitude falls, is that there's a disconnect. Because every time it's happened to me before they'll say: 'Hey, give us a phone number, and we'll call you when it happens again'. Because of that, I always have my phone on me when I stream. I'm prepared for a phone call.
He continued: "The problem is that they've never called. Every single time they've come, they've never called. And every time they come, I get a little more annoyed. Like: 'Why didn't you call this time?'. And instead of being like: 'Oh you know what, our bad. We should've called', they'll hit me with something like this: 'Maybe you should get a different job?'".
What Exactly Is Swatting?
If you're not familiar with the term, 'swatting' is where a member of the public makes a hoax call to emergency services, citing a streamer as someone who is involved. The basic premise is calling the authorities to report a member of the public for some kind of crime (such as a bomb threat, murder, hostage situation, or a false report of a mental health emergency), and then waiting for the police to appear at the victim's home.
The reason why streamers are often targeted is due to the fact that the 'prankster' can watch it unfold from the comfort of their own homes. For example, Summit1G and n0thing have both been swatted on stream. Unfortunately, the 'prank' is not completely risk-free. In fact, it is an incredibly dangerous thing to do, with some fatalities occurring in the past as a result.
In 2017, a man named Andrew Finch was tragically killed as a result of 'swatting', despite not being the intended victim. The fraudulent call was made as a result of a dispute over a $1.50 Call of Duty bet. The police were told that a man at Finch's house had murdered someone, and was holding others at gunpoint. When Finch was leaving the home, he was fatally shot. The person behind the 'prank', Tyler Barriss, was given 20 years in a federal prison as a result.
Some people have called for swatting to be put into the same category as terrorism due to it being used to intimidate and create the risk of injury or death.