Swatting arrests after gamer gets shot with rubber bullets.

[WindKnight]

A british man who carried out a swatting call, and the US game who requested it, have been arrested after the incident ended with the target of the 'prank' being shot in the face and chest with rubber bullets.

Seeing as the incident took place in 2015, it took some time to track these shitheads down, but better late than never.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/robert-mcdaid-charged-tyran-dobbs-swatting-hoax-call-swat-terrorism-maryland-shot-gun-explosives-a7677071.html

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/gamer-shot-by-swat-police-after-hoax-call-vtrfrsw9t

 

[TrulyBritish]

Good, I have no sympathy for the little twats who thinks it's funny to, at worst, waste the time of SWAT officers for a "prank".
Though I doubt that'll be a controversial opinion here.

 

[fix-the-spade]

Well he's getting extradited and he's mega boned.

Can't say I'm shedding any tears over that, I hope it gets well publicised so all the little script kiddies out there get some discouragement.

 

[DoPo]

all the little script kiddies

Don't get it - the news doesn't seem to imply script kiddies were involved. Did the article in the Independant misrepresent something? The one in the Times requres registration to view, so it may have different information. All it seems to be is somebody called another guy and told him to call SWAT, which the latter guy did.

 

[infohippie]

This was some great news to wake up to.

 

[fix-the-spade]

Don't get it - the news doesn't seem to imply script kiddies were involved. Did the article in the Independant misrepresent something? The one in the Times requres registration to view, so it may have different information. All it seems to be is somebody called another guy and told him to call SWAT, which the latter guy did.

The people that do this are getting the IP addresses and location information of their victims from somewhere.

To my mind anyone using basic computer hacking or doxxing to cause trouble is a script kiddy, whether that's the right name for them or not I don't know, they just fit the description exactly to me.

Maybe in this specific case it's not what happened, but it usually is.

 

[DoPo]

Don't get it - the news doesn't seem to imply script kiddies were involved. Did the article in the Independant misrepresent something? The one in the Times requres registration to view, so it may have different information. All it seems to be is somebody called another guy and told him to call SWAT, which the latter guy did.

The people that do this are getting the IP addresses and location information of their victims from somewhere.

To my mind anyone using basic computer hacking or doxxing to cause trouble is a script kiddy, whether that's the right name for them or not I don't know, they just fit the description exactly to me.

Maybe in this specific case it's not what happened, but it usually is.

The article doesn't mention anything about that. And as far as I know, in general that's not even the case - it's either aimed at some at least semi-public personalities (e.g., streamers) or information is obtained through "social engineering" (heavy airquotes as it might just be somebody asking the gamer "where do you live").

Whenever doxxing is involved it rarely, if ever, is an activity where you can call the perpetrator a "script kiddie". That term is for very newbie hackers who simply use ready made tools (sometimes scripts but in this day and age, we have full on applications) to do whatever they need, requiring little thought or even finesse.

 

[TheMysteriousGX]

I thank god it was only rubber bullets.

Remember kiddos, the Internet is just as real as meatspace. Act accordingly.

 

[MHR]

Justice is sweet. America tends to make criminals do harder time than a lot of other countries. We have a larger percentage of our people locked up than everyone else, don't forget. He might end up getting the max of 20 years I think, seeing as how this kind of crime is so ridiculous.

Also, does anyone know how the shooting occurred? Did the victim do something besides put his hands up? Might be useful to know for other people that get swatted so as to avoid getting blown away by nervous SWAT cops.

 

[stroopwafel]

20 years is a harsh sentence(let's face it, it's such a huge chunk out of your life that it's essentially over) but this 'prank' happens so often that they have to set an example. Also the guy was lucky that the rubber bullet wasn't a little bit more to the left or right as he could have easily lost an eye.

Also, does anyone know how the shooting occurred? Did the victim do something besides put his hands up? Might be useful to know for other people that get swatted so as to avoid getting blown away by nervous SWAT cops.

It would probably be best to lie on the ground with your arms spread as soon as you even have a remote hint that there's a small police force outside your door.

 

[Terminal Blue]

I thank god it was only rubber bullets.

Rubber bullets can kill or permanently injure people.

Like, it's more like getting hit by a car than it is like getting hit with a paintball. Being shot in the head with one can very easily break your neck, fracture or your skull or leave you with permanent facial disfigurement.

Frankly, whoever shot this guy in the face should be disciplined internally at the very least. Either they weren't aiming for the face in which case they suck and should not be near a gun, or they deliberately aimed for the face in which case they're a asshole and shouldn't be near a gun. Not going to happen though because it's 'Murica and blue lives matter.

 

[WindKnight]

Also, does anyone know how the shooting occurred? Did the victim do something besides put his hands up? Might be useful to know for other people that get swatted so as to avoid getting blown away by nervous SWAT cops.

From the article, he sounds like he was asleep when the SWAT team arrived, soooo...

Though I have heard of people who have certain groups with a hate-on for them have taken to pre-emptively contacting the police any time they become aware that they have been doxxed, so that when they do get swatted the police are less likely to rush in with guns out.

 

[Jerast]

Don't get it - the news doesn't seem to imply script kiddies were involved. Did the article in the Independant misrepresent something? The one in the Times requres registration to view, so it may have different information. All it seems to be is somebody called another guy and told him to call SWAT, which the latter guy did.

The people that do this are getting the IP addresses and location information of their victims from somewhere.

To my mind anyone using basic computer hacking or doxxing to cause trouble is a script kiddy, whether that's the right name for them or not I don't know, they just fit the description exactly to me.

Maybe in this specific case it's not what happened, but it usually is.

The article doesn't mention anything about that. And as far as I know, in general that's not even the case - it's either aimed at some at least semi-public personalities (e.g., streamers) or information is obtained through "social engineering" (heavy airquotes as it might just be somebody asking the gamer "where do you live").

Whenever doxxing is involved it rarely, if ever, is an activity where you can call the perpetrator a "script kiddie". That term is for very newbie hackers who simply use ready made tools (sometimes scripts but in this day and age, we have full on applications) to do whatever they need, requiring little thought or even finesse.

It's basically how when people guess their friends passwords they say "lol hacked you ".

He's using script kiddie even if it isn't the right word, because "script kiddie" is now synonymous with wannabehacker in Reddit/facebook tier internet land.

 

[ZeD [taken 0]]

Those officers are a bunch of incompetent douchebags.

If they can't/won't aim for the body, get a desk job.

 

[Pseudonym]

Yeah, if you deliberately put peoples lives in danger like that, some punishment is certainly warranted. Somebody actually got harmed here. I'm at least glad that the people who pull these stunts are seriously prosecuted.

I thank god it was only rubber bullets.

Rubber bullets can kill or permanently injure people.

Like, it's more like getting hit by a car than it is like getting hit with a paintball. Being shot in the head with one can very easily break your neck, fracture or your skull or leave you with permanent facial disfigurement.

Well, sure, but an actual bullet would almost certainly have killed the guy in this case. So I'd prefer the option where I'd probably survive rather than the one that I probably wouldn't survive even if both options suck.

 

[DoPo]

Whenever doxxing is involved it rarely, if ever, is an activity where you can call the perpetrator a "script kiddie". That term is for very newbie hackers who simply use ready made tools (sometimes scripts but in this day and age, we have full on applications) to do whatever they need, requiring little thought or even finesse.

Does this mean Aiden Pierce and possibly all of Dead-sec are script kiddies?

Aiden Pierce - I'd say yes. As for DedSec - don't know enough about them.