Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Teen behind hundreds of swatting attacks pleads guilty to federal charges

wired.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

171–180 of 419 posts

Re: Teen behind hundreds of swatting attacks pleads guilty to federal charges

#171

Post by 1659447091 »

Loughla wrote: post #14
burnished wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I suspect its more about how much national information you're exposed to today than any sort of time based moral failing.

I cannot be convinced that swatting is something that used to happen. Is there a history of this? I legit do not remember seeing anything on the evening national news about that in the past, like from before 2000.

Maybe not swatting, but bomb threats were probably the equivalent. My junior high had at least 2 that I can remember where we were all cleared out for hours as the school was searched. Swatting had the internet to fuel it's rise, local news programs didn't use things like reporting on every fake bomb threat to generate views or "engagement" and in turn did not spread the idea to a massive amount of people. But they still happened, quite a bit. Like many things fueled from the internet it rewards the more extremes, bomb threats are childs play now--but at one time they weren't

Re: Teen behind hundreds of swatting attacks pleads guilty to federal charges

#172

Post by potato3732842 »

rgmerk wrote: post #107
plagiarist wrote: post #22

It should really not be possible for a single anonymous phone call to dispatch a heavily armed response team to break down someone's door. Aside from that, people who do so are despicable. 20 years is a light sentence. Taking money to put people in situations that could easily become deadly.

To be ever so slightly sympathetic to American cops, unlike just about anywhere else in the developed world, it is plausible that the person behind the door is armed with anything up to an automatic rifle, and any random person they stop may be carrying a concealed firearm. Given that, if I was busting down doors in the US, I’d want to be armed to the teeth, equipped with the best body armour money can buy, and would…

When the cops think they are actually likely to encounter genuine armed resistance they ambush the suspect outside their home. If that's not practical they set up a perimeter. Police are not profession combatants. Their tactical doctrine is dominated by "gotta go home safe." SWAT raids exist mostly for the image and spectacle.

Re: Teen behind hundreds of swatting attacks pleads guilty to federal charges

#173

Post by jonp888 »

Loughla wrote: post #72
bigiain wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It wouldn't be a problem, if the "heavily armed response team" was properly held to account when they killed innocent people. Cops kill people on the basis of ludicrous anonymous phone call because they know they'll get away with it when it turns out to be false. And they like it that way. There needs to be a few very public cases of entire SWAT teams getting 20 year sentences. ACAB

While the acab is kind of rough, I'm absolutely with you on police accountability. If there was open and honest accountability, I don't think people would have as many problems with the police. The issue is that police operate in extremely high pressure novel situations all the time. Training only goes so far. After that, you're investigating mistakes versus violent intent. I'm not sure that's easy to do, and I'm cer…

> Training only goes so far

Compared to other countries American cops aren't really trained at all.

In Germany the training period for a police officer is 2 to 3 years, in the US it's usually less then 6 months.

Re: Teen behind hundreds of swatting attacks pleads guilty to federal charges

#175

Post by account42 »

Loughla wrote: post #14
burnished wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I suspect its more about how much national information you're exposed to today than any sort of time based moral failing.

I cannot be convinced that swatting is something that used to happen. Is there a history of this? I legit do not remember seeing anything on the evening national news about that in the past, like from before 2000.

Swatting is something new (popularized by the Internet, made possible by military surpluss gear sold police wanting to larp in tacticool shit) but stupid pranks with deadly consequences are not.

Re: Teen behind hundreds of swatting attacks pleads guilty to federal charges

#176

Post by coding123 »

saghm wrote: post #66
drexlspivey wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well he is facing 20 years

That's a pretty light sentence for 375 murder attempts and threats.

There are at least 30 countries that would apply the death sentence for that.

Re: Teen behind hundreds of swatting attacks pleads guilty to federal charges

#177

Post by croisillon »

hereforcomments wrote: post #96

In Europe this would have been a completely different story. It's highly unlikely (compared to the US) that a SWAT team equivalent would kill anyone. The guy could have got away with 5-7 years max. I know it's a museum, but I prefer to live here.

i kind of remember a journalist having a heart attack 10 years ago during a swatting event in france but i couldn't find it anymore

Re: Teen behind hundreds of swatting attacks pleads guilty to federal charges

#178

Post by pluc »

lupusreal wrote: post #157
pluc wrote: post #150

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's only attempted murder because American SWAT is trigger happy, equipped literally like an army and shoots before asking questions or establishing context, that's hardly his fault.

It's his fault if he knows his actions may result in the targets death and does it anyway. "It's hardly my fault the police doused pluc with gasoline, all I did was throw a match"

If you have smart police officers who do smart police work this is a mild annoyance at best. Not trying to defend him, but SWAT is just as guilty as he is.

Re: Teen behind hundreds of swatting attacks pleads guilty to federal charges

#180

Post by nkrisc »

account42 wrote: post #158
nkrisc wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It wouldn't be a problem, if the "heavily armed response team" was properly held to account when they killed innocent people. You’re right, but it is a problem and people who choose to abuse that fact deserve to have the book thrown at them.

Before the people that make this possible and carry out the raids in an unsafe manner and without due dilligence? Before the ones protecting the police from any accountability? The kid should be punished, yes, but a quarter of his lifespan is not exactly a light sentence.

Before, after, concurrently - it doesn’t matter.

Both issues need to be addressed and addressing one doesn’t relate to the other.

This kid shouldn’t get off easy just because his crime shouldn’t be possible. It is possible, and he chose to do it. Most people are good and choose not to do it.

Post reply on HN