NEWBURGH HEIGHTS, Ohio — Numerous police departments responded to a Newburgh Heights neighborhood Friday night after authorities were called about a woman who was shot in the chest and bleeding—a call that turned out to be a prank "swatting" call.
There were conflicting stories and a couple of 911 calls, according to police. One caller said a woman was shot in a drive-by, then a separate call described a situation where a man shot his wife, and she was on the floor bleeding.
Police said dispatchers tried calling the callers back, but nobody answered. Police said the phone pinged to a house on East 44th Street.
Newburgh Heights police responded and set up a perimeter around the house. After those inside refused to comply with officers' commands to come outside, officers called for backup, and the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Office, Brooklyn Heights and Cuyahoga Heights police departments and a SWAT team responded.
The standoff started at about 10:30 p.m. and lasted into early morning Saturday.
“We didn’t know if we had a standoff, we didn’t know if we had a person dying or dead in the house, we didn’t know any of this stuff. We had an ambulance down the street on standby when we did make contact with them so we could tend to the injured party but turns out there wasn’t one, “ said Newburgh Heights Police Chief Chief John Majoy.
Police later learned it was a prank call, which they said came from two teenagers inside one of the apartments at the multi-family home.
“It’s infuriating, it really is that they did this,” Majoy said.
Police are not laughing.
“I’m really going to press the court accountable and frankly I’d like to see the parents held accountable,” Majoy said.
Police said at least two teenagers could face charges.
