Streamers Who Were Swatted Live On Stream
The act of streaming video games is, at its core, a fun adventure. Not only does one get to play games for a prolonged period of time, but they get to share their moments with other people in the process. On top of that, streaming video games on platforms like Twitch or YouTube can also be a fun and useful way to make money should one develop a following. Popular streamers such as xQc or Pokimane have made estimated millions of dollars per year on Twitch, if last year's bombshell leak is to be believed.
But streaming can also be extremely dangerous. Upon becoming more popular in the streaming space, one is also subject to losing a bit of privacy. And while most people won't care all too much about personal information, others will use it for more sinister purposes such as "swatting". For the uninitiated, swatting is a cruel prank in which someone will call the police on a streamer and say that they've committed some kind of heinous crime in order to elicit a response from law enforcement, who in turn will likely show up with a SWAT team to the streamer's address (hence the term "swatting"). Many of these streamers have been swatted while streaming live as well.
Dellor was swatted while playing Fornite
Dellor is a streamer popular for his exploits in both "Overwatch" and "Fortnite," as well as his rage-induced tirades. Because of his notoriously volatile demeanor, Dellor is subject to some ridicule and criticism from the gaming community and has made his fair share of enemies over the years. In August 2019, things went entirely too far as the controversial streamer was subject to a SWAT raid.
On stream, Dellor was shown abruptly stopping his game to answer a phone call. While on the phone, Dellor showed obvious signs of concern and confusion and peered out his window. The streamer then walked away from the view of the camera. Some time later, Dellor returned to his desk to tell his viewers that he'd been swatted. "Well, I just about 15 f***ing automatic rifles pointed at me," Dellor told his viewers. "That was the scariest experience of my f***ing life."
KoopaTroopa and his brother had guns pointed at him during a SWAT raid
KoppaTroopa — whose real name is Joshua Peters — is a veteran of the Air Force and a relatively popular streamer for the game "Runescape." While streaming for a reported 60,000 viewers in February 2015, Peters was alerted to a commotion downstairs. Upon investigating, Peters discovered that a SWAT unit had raided his home and had held his 10-year-old brother at gunpoint after he had answered the door. The streamer was also detained by authorities until their investigation deduced that they had been wrongly notified.
Some time later, Peters returned to his stream and offered an emotional response to the mean prank. "10 cops pointed guns at my 10 year old brother when he answered the door," Peters said. "I don't give a s*** about what you have against me, or what I did to you. For that, I am at a loss for words."
Gross Gore avoided a confrontation when police showed up at his house
While most swatting incidents end in streamers being held at gunpoint and/or temporarily detained, UK-based "League of Legends" streamer Gross Gore was a bit more fortunate. While in the middle of a game, Gross Gore — whose real name is Ali Lawson — responded to knocking at his door. Upon answering it, many police officers are shown to be asking Lawson a series of questions. The streamer invites them into his home and returns to his desk, even offering the police a seat on his bedroom couch while he explains the situation.
Lawson explains to the police that he had accidentally disclosed his home address on stream, leading to many of his viewers sending him food, but that one must've "taken it a step too far" by phoning in a fake incident at his residence. After a short series of questions, the police leave Lawson's room to apparently speak with his mother. Luckily, this situation wasn't too dramatic or traumatizing for anyone involved.
Kootra is handcuffed on stream
In one of the more dramatic displays of swatting caught on camera, streamer Kootra was apprehended live on camera while playing a game of "Counter Strike: Global Offensive". Kootra, whose real name is Jordan Mathewson, was alerted to the sounds of police officers clearing out nearby rooms. "Uh-oh, this isn't good," Mathewson said to his viewers. "They're clearing rooms. What in the world? I think we're getting swatted."
Within moments, Mathewson's room was stormed by police in tactical gear who ordered him on the ground. The streamer was handcuffed and searched by the officers. The questioning lasted for several minutes until the camera feed is cut off by one of the responding officers. In an interview with ABC, Mathewson said that the situation "terrified" him and that it was only the latest of a series of pranks pulled on him by his viewers, which to that point had included pizzas being ordered and taxi cabs called to his office.
Mhova is unexpectedly swatted while live
Mhova is a Texas-based model who also moonlights as a streamer in her free time. While live on stream on October 4, 2015, Mhova was showing off her camo shirt, playing with her cat, and opening a bottle of wine when she noticed the sound of sirens outside her apartment. Initially, Mhova was dismissive of it, but after looking out of one of her windows, she quickly deduced that she had been swatted by a viewer that had obtained her address.
"We're gonna have a f***ing terrible event over this s***," Mhova said after noticing what was happening. Knocking could be heard in the background, prompting Mhova to answer the door. The responding police initially requested the streamer show them her hands, but the situation was quickly de-escalated. Mhova showed the group of officers on stream, who appeared to be just as confused as she was.
Summit1G stopped by police while playing Pokémon Go
While most swatting incidents occur at gamers' homes, others can happen in public as well. Popular streamer Jaryd Lazar, more popularly known by his online handle Summit1G, was subject to such treatment when a viewer called the police on him while playing "Pokémon Go" in a public park. The Twitch streamer was streaming himself playing the game when a donation in the chat alerted him that he would soon encounter the police. Summit soon noticed police officers staring at him and his friend while walking in the park, but continued looking for digital Pokémon to catch.
Eventually, the police approached him while sitting on a bench, allegedly with guns drawn, and requested that Summit and his friend walk backward toward them. The stream then abruptly ended. Luckily, Summit and his friend weren't harmed in the incident. However, Summit1g has been subject to this treatment more frequently than usual, and is often considered to be the "most swatted streamer" in the space today.
Alliestrasza swatted while Just Chatting
On Feb. 9, 2022, Twitch streamer and YouTuber Alliestrasza — best known to fans for her "Hearthstone" gameplay and fun commentary — was catching up with her viewers after taking a break from Twitch. Her friendly Just Chatting stream was soon interrupted, however, when police officers arrived at her front door. After stepping away momentarily, Alliestrasza returned to pop in and tell her audience, "I'm being swatted right now, guys."
Shortly thereafter, armed officers opened the door to her streaming room and searched the area. Alliestrasza eventually told her chat she needed to shut the stream off and answer some questions for the police officers in her house. Unfortunately, the stress did not end there.
In an update added to Twitter later on that day, Alliestrasza explained to her followers that she and her whole family were handcuffed outside of the house while the police investigated a report of a violent shooting. It's still unknown who called in this fraudulent tip and why, but Alliestrasza and her family members were suddenly faced with the difficult task of trying to explain the concept of swatting Twitch streamers to the officers on the scene.