Report Of Winnetka​ Gunman Turns Out To Be Hoax

WOODLAND HILLS, CA — Police swarmed upon a neighborhood in Winnetka Tuesday night for what turned out to be a swatting call.

At about 8 :30 p.m., officers responded to a report of a man with a gun holed up inside a home in the 8000 block of Oso Avenue, between Roscoe Avenue and Saticoy Street, according to Los Angeles Police Department Officer Mike Lopez.

However, officers quickly realized it was a prank. By 9 p.m., it was determined that the call was a so-called "swatting" hoax aimed at triggering a law enforcement response. Authorities are now investigating the hoax, an ongoing problem in Los Angeles that can have deadly results.

Earlier this year, A Los Angeles man with a history of swatting was sentenced to 20 years in prison for a hoax call reporting a fake murder that led police in Wichita, Kansas, to shoot and kill an innocent man.

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.