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A SWAT team in Reading was deployed to the fast food restaurant at 930 Lancaster Avenue at about 10:15 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 25, the department said.
Emergency dispatchers had been told that a suspect was "hiding in a dumpster, possibly armed," police said. But when officers searched the bin, they said they found nothing of note.
"All information leads to a swatting call originating from an internet number that originated out of state," Reading police explained. No injuries were reported.
"Swatting" is when a prank caller reports a serious crime in progress at a victim's home to provoke a serious — and often deadly — response from law enforcement. On Christmas Day last year in Chester County, a police SWAT team was called to a North Coventry home under similar circumstances.
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