Newport Beach Police responded to reports of a shooting at Hoag Hospital on Tuesday morning, but said there appeared to be no threat to the public.
Police swept the premises at the hospital just after 7 a.m. after receiving a 911 call reporting a shooting, according to a department spokesperson. But when officers arrived there were no signs of a shooting and hospital staff said there was no emergency.
It was not immediately clear what information was relayed to emergency dispatchers, but police are reviewing the incident as a possible “swatting” call, according to authorities.
A spokesperson for Hoag Hospital could not be immediately reached for comment.
False 911 reports can spark fear, panic and trigger a large police response that can have deadly consequences. In March, Loma Linda University’s Children’s Hospital was placed on a lock down after someone called authorities and threatening to carry out a mass shooting. Authorities determined that to be a hoax call.
Just one day later, police responded to reports of a person holding a hostage at at Claremont McKenna College and were preparing to shoot people on campus. That call was also determined to be a hoax, police said.
In 2018, a Los Angeles man was sentenced to more than 20 years in prison for making dozens of swatting calls, one of which led to police killing an unarmed man answering his front door in Kansas.
