SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — Students sheltered in place after reports of a stabbing near freshman dorms at the University of Utah.
Scott Carver, Deputy Chief Safety Officer with U of U Police Services, said a man called the police department, identified himself as “Jonathan Smith,” and claimed to have stabbed his girlfriend 20 times. The man said he had an assault rifle and would “shoot up the school” unless police arrived within 20 minutes.
Officers with the U of U and Salt Lake police departments responded to the scene — the Kahlert Village freshman dorms — and moved students to surrounding buildings, where they could shelter in place.
Carver said officers went to the building to search for the suspect “floor by floor, room by room,” but found nothing suspicious.
At this point, the time frame the suspect had given them had passed, and officers determined the incident to be “swatting.”
The Department of Homeland Security defined swatting as “placing false emergency calls to emergency responders, often reporting a (false) severe, ongoing crisis at a specific location. The goal of swatting is to provoke a significant law enforcement response, creating chaos and potentially resulting in violence.”
Swatting, according to DHS:
- Typically involves claims of violent crimes such as active shooters, bomb threats, or hostage situations.
- Can target individuals, businesses, government officials, schools, faith-based institutions, and even federal facilities.
- Is illegal and carries serious legal consequences for perpetrators.
Carver said swatting incidents have risen across the country. Two other universities reported swatting just this week.
The suspect reportedly used an IP-based/computer-based system to make the call, which cannot be traced without “very sophisticated technology.”
Carver said they plan to prosecute if they can identify the suspect.
Students were allowed back in their dorms on Wednesday evening.
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