A 25-year-old serial 'swatter' has been indicted for allegedly making a bomb threat during the FCC's net neutrality vote that forced the entire building to evacuate
- Tyler Raj Barris, 25, has been indicted for allegedly making hoax bomb threats to the FCC during the net neutrality hearings, and to the FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C.
- He was already awaiting trial for involuntary manslaughter for his alleged role in the death of a gamer in a "swatting" incident, in which a false call was made to police to illicit the response of a S.W.A.T. team.
- He faces two counts of making hoax bomb threats, as well as the charges from the "swatting" incident.
The same man who was charged for a "swatting" incident, in which a man was killed by police, has been indicted for allegedly making bomb threats to the FBI headquarters and to the FCC during the net neutrality vote.
Tyler Raj Barriss, 25, from Los Angeles California, also known as his online alias "SWAuTistic," has been indicted on two counts of making hoax bomb threats.
The first threat targeted the FCC during the net neutrality hearing on December 14, 2017, the Department of Justice said. The call resulted in the evacuation of the building and briefly delayed the vote.
Then, on December 22, 2017, Barriss allegedly made another call to FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C. and claimed there were bombs planted in the building. Both calls were determined to be hoaxes, and both charges carry a maximum of 20 years in prison.
When he was indicted for the bomb threat hoaxes, Barriss was already detained for allegedly making false emergency calls to police in a method known as "swatting," where police are given fake but concerning information about a specific target, to the point where the use of a S.W.A.T. team is warranted. Barriss is awaiting trial for an incident in December 2017, when the Department of Justice claims he "swatted" someone after an argument in an online game. When police arrived at the house, they killed the man who answered the door, Andrew Finch, 28, from Wichita, Kansas. Barriss has been charged with involuntary manslaughter for his alleged role in Finch's death.
Barriss has been charged with hoax bomb threats before, when he allegedly threatened a Glendale, California news station. He claims to have "swatted" more than 100 schools and about 10 homes or residences.