Hoax 911 call on hostage situation prompts SWAT team to surround Sanford home

SANFORD, Fla. — An unfounded 911 call led to a heavy police presence and a SWAT team around a Sanford home Thursday night.

Dozens of police cars surrounded a home on Celery and Pine avenues near 11th Street.

A police department spokesperson said a 911 call reporting that a woman was being held hostage in the home sparked the situation.

Part of Celery Avenue was shut down for hours as police responded to what they thought was a serious hostage situation.

Officers found nothing suspicious inside the home.

Police said they may not be able to pursue swatting charges, but they are looking into whether it’s possible to track down whoever phoned in the 911 call.

Swatting is when someone deceives authorities into dispatching emergency crews to a critical incident.

“Ultimately, nobody was injured and everyone is safe and we need to do what we need to do, and at the end of the day, we are happy to report there are no injuries or worse,” said Bianca Gillette of the Sanford Police Department.

Police said the homeowner came out of the home and cooperated with police.

He was unaware that a 911 call had been placed.

Authorities said they went inside and used robots to make sure there was nothing dangerous inside the home.

Cox Media Group