June 25, 10:07 a.m.: RPD statement
Just before 10 p.m. yesterday, Richmond Police Department posted a statement about the incident on their Facebook page. The statement reads in part:
Shortly after 5:00 PM today, the Richmond Police Department received a disturbing call from an unknown male stating that he was located in the 700 block of E. Main Street in Richmond. The caller claimed to be holding five Jewish hostages, said he was armed with firearms and explosives, and reported that he had already killed one of the hostages.
Your Richmond PD officers responded immediately and began securing the area. They were quickly joined by the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department, Indiana State Police, and Richmond Fire Department, which deployed a doctor equipped ambulance. As the situation escalated, Richmond PD’s SWAT Team and Drone Team arrived on scene. Negotiators, operating from Wayne County Emergency Communications, established contact with the caller.
Out of an abundance of caution, nearby buildings were cleared with the help of the Randolph County SWAT Team. During the course of the incident, investigators became aware of a live webcam feed in the area. After the feed was terminated, communications with the caller noticeably changed.
After a thorough investigation, officers have determined this to be a swatting incident. This is a criminal hoax in which someone falsely reports a violent emergency to prompt a massive police response. These incidents not only waste valuable resources but also put lives at risk.
Even after determining the call to be a hoax, Officers continued clearing the area to ensure the safety of the public.
June 24, 9:15 p.m.: Report was false
Richmond Police Department is telling WWN that the hostage report was false and that the situation is now over.
It appears that a live Google Earth feed allowed a hoax caller to create and then watch the police response for nearly four hours, according to Major Adam Blanton.
RPD learned about the Google Earth stream that provided a view of the entire street. They shut it down, and the suspect began providing false information, including about a helicopter arriving, Blanton said. With the stream shut down and all of the buildings checked, streets began reopening shortly before 9 p.m. as officers cleared from the scene.
Wayne County Sheriff’s Office, Randolph County Sheriff’s SWAT team, Indiana State Police and Richmond Fire Department assisted at the scene. Centerville Police Department covered other Richmond calls during the nearly four-hour period.
June 24, 8:49 p.m.: Original report
Richmond Police Department is clearing buildings in the 700 block of East Main Street on Tuesday evening, trying to verify that a man was holding seven hostages at knifepoint.
Major Adam Blanton, the department’s public information officer, told WWN that a call was received at 5:02 p.m. from the suspect, who demanded $100,000 in ransom. The department set up a perimeter, closing the roads in several blocks of East Main Street.
The suspect was in contact with RPD negotiators by phone, but Blanton said he provided only generic information. To ensure safety, officers began asking building occupants to evacuate. By 8 p.m., Blanton said all of the south side of the 700 block had been cleared and only two buildings remained to be cleared on the street’s north side.
At that point, Blanton said the incident could be a false report made to generate a police response, known as swatting. RPD planned to involve the Federal Bureau of Investigation in an investigation.