No active threat after 'swatting' call at Loma Linda hospital

LOMA LINDA, Calif. — No active threat was found after deputies responded to a report of an armed individual with a bomb in the emergency department at Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital on Wednesday evening, authorities said. Officials later determined the incident to be a case of “swatting.”

Deputies from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department arrived at the hospital around 6:45 p.m. to investigate the report, officials said.

The alleged suspect called 911 and claimed to be inside the hospital with a weapon, according to San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon D. Dicus.

"The caller called and said that he was armed with an AR-15 and also had a bomb and that [he] was suffering from a mental health crisis and hearing voices and the voices were telling him to do what he was saying he was going to do, which was shoot up the hospital and the patients," said Sheriff Dicus.

ABC 7 video showed the massive law enforcement response at the hospital Wednesday night.

Law enforcement personnel worked to clear the facility while ensuring patient and staff safety. By 8 p.m., the sheriff’s office confirmed that no injuries had been reported and no gunshots had been heard. A subsequent investigation found no active threat on the hospital’s campus, and normal operations resumed.

Swatting refers to a criminal act in which a false emergency report is made to prompt a large-scale police response to a specific location. Law enforcement agencies nationwide have warned of the dangers of such incidents, which can divert critical resources and place individuals at risk.

Detectives from the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Central Station are working to locate and identify the suspect who made the false report.

"Law enforcement officers responded from two counties taking away their ability to handle emergency calls in their own communities. Patients and their families were subject to much more trauma than they were already going through. Terrified hospital staff went above and beyond to protect the patients. All of this caused by a hoax to falsely portray a catastrophic event," said Dicus in a media release Thursday. "We are going to use every means necessary to identity the suspect or suspects responsible for this heinous crime and hold them accountable.”

Anyone with information on this case is asked to contact Deputy R. Olivares or Deputy A. DeCecio of the Central Station at (909) 387-3545. Callers wishing to remain anonymous are urged to call the We-Tip Hotline at 1-800-78CRIME (27436) or leave information on the We-Tip website at www.wetip.com.            

This post was originally published at 09:19 March, 13, 2025. It was updated at 17:10.