1398060_643367049047412_743959498_oAn executive at Bungie got a rude awakening at 3 a.m. yesterday after the Sammamish Police descended on his residential home following a fake report that he had killed his father-in-law and was holding his family hostage, according to a report by KOMO News.

Police response included a helicopter and several emergency vehicles. The caller claimed that he had placed explosives in the home’s yard, and wanted $20,000 for the release of his family. In reality, the executive, who has not been named, was sleeping safely with his family and his yard was not laced with explosives, though it took an hour for the police to determine that.

The incident was another instance of “swatting,” when one person tricks a police department into believing there’s some sort of serious emergency, which then leads to a massive response, usually with a SWAT team. (Hence the name.) While some consider it to be a prank, it’s actually incredibly dangerous, since it could potentially pull police resources away from other crimes, as well as put the residents in the house at risk of violence.

So far, the police haven’t been able to determine who made the threat that precipitated the police response, though whoever did it faces a $5,000 fine and up to a year in jail.

While the cause behind the hoax is unclear, this isn’t the first case of a prominent figure in the game industry being targeted in this manner. Sony Online Entertainment President John Smedley had a plane he was flying on grounded after a hacking team issued a bomb threat. Other industry figures, including popular streamers, have faced similar attacks.

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