Phony call about shooting distracts Oakland police
Oakland police responded to a bogus report of an active shooter with multiple casualties at a shopping plaza on May 10, 2023. (KTVU FOX 2)
OAKLAND, Calif. - A shopping center in Oakland was the site of an apparent swatting incident as the Oakland Police Department rushed to the location where they had been wrongly told that there was a shooting "with multiple victims."
Police said they had been "notified of a shooting incident with multiple victims" but officers found no victims or armed suspects. The department did not say that it had been a hoax or prank, but rather that "the incident was unfounded."
Officers were searching on the 3700 block of Mandela Parkway around 4 p.m.
Multiple businesses are in the area, including Best Buy, Target, Nordstrom Rack, GameStop and Michaels.
Anyone with information on the incident is asked to contact the OPD Criminal Investigations Division at (510) 238-3728.