Ottawa Youth Charged in Hamilton Swatting Investigations
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Hamilton Police have charged a youth from Ottawa in connection with multiple swatting incidents that occurred in the City of Hamilton between December 2025 and January 2026.
“Swatting” is a term used to describe the act of making false or hoax calls to emergency services, reporting serious crimes in an effort to prompt a large-scale police response. These incidents are deliberate and malicious, designed to misuse emergency resources.
Hamilton Police officers responded to seven reported incidents and conducted thorough investigations, ultimately determining that all calls were false. In each case, the caller alleged that serious criminal offences were taking place and requested an immediate police response. The false reports included allegations of domestic violence, shootings, and homicides, and were deliberately directed at residential addresses within the City of Hamilton. Swatting incidents place an enormous and unacceptable strain on emergency services. Each false report diverts police officers from legitimate emergencies, undermines the community’s access to timely police response, and creates unnecessary risks to both public and officer safety.
As part of the investigation, detectives from the Hamilton Police Service Division 20 Criminal Investigations Branch executed a search warrant at a residence in Ottawa. Multiple electronic devices were seized and subsequently analyzed.
As a result of the investigation, on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, a 14-year-old Ottawa youth was charged with Public Mischief.
The youth was released from custody and is scheduled to appear in court in February 2026. They cannot be identified under the provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act.