PRINCETON, Minnesota — At 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 1, police surrounded the Belle Haven Townhomes in Princeton.
"It was scary, it was like what's going on?" said resident Lisa Hickle "I looked out the window and there was a rifle pointed right at me. 'Put your hands up and come outside.' It's like, oh my God. Ok."
Police say they evacuated the town homes, because a 911 caller said he had just shot three people inside.
"And right away, it was like, who?" Hickle said.
But there were no shooting victims, and there was no shooter. Police say it was a hoax known as "swatting," in which a 911 caller tries to create a large law enforcement response including SWAT teams.
"It's a strain. It's a strain on the community and law enforcement," said Princeton Police Chief Todd Frederick. "It's an unsafe situation."
Swatting incidents have happened all over the country in recent years. And in Wichita Kansas, one swatting incident led to police mistakenly killing an innocent man.
In Princeton, another swatting hoax occurred on Sept.12, just blocks away from the first one, when a 911 caller said he shot a woman in a house and was going to harm himself.
"I think they should put a reward and catch him, because you cannot joke like that," said Susana Del Castillo.
Police say tracing the calls is difficult, because the prankster is using the same tools that scammers use to call you from local numbers. But Frederick said several agencies including the FBI are helping to try and track down the caller or callers.
"It was the worst prank. I mean it just wasn't funny. I don't' know what he was thinking. I mean really, he needs some help," Hickle said.
Frederick said they're looking at a number of different felonies the person responsible can be charged with once he's finally caught.