Cover-Credits:
Popular Apex Legends streamer and pro player for Team SoloMid (TSM) Phillip “ImperialHal” Dosen was swatted live on stream, sending waves of concern among his fans. He was in a game of Apex Legends with his teammates Evan “Verhulst” Verhulst and Mac “Albralelie” Beckwith when the incident occurred. Creators and others in the esports community are calling out fans for their irresponsible behavior, pointing out how scary the experience is. This is not the first instance of a popular streamer or a YouTuber getting swatted live on stream as they are often victims of such acts.
What is swatting?
Swatting is the act or practice of making a hoax call to the emergency services or the local law enforcement in an attempt to bring about the dispatch of a large number of armed police officers or a SWAT team to respond to a particular address where there is no real emergency. It is a deranged prank that is often played at the expense of streamers.
Did TSM ImperialHal get swatted on stream?
During his latest livestream on 29th July, ImperialHal was playing ranked in Apex Legends before a tournament, in which he was leading in eliminations. There was a loud knock on his door and an officer tapped ImperialHal on his shoulder to get his attention. Immediately, the pro player turned off his camera and minimized his game to go answer the officer. Minutes later, ImperialHal returned to the stream after handling the situation in a calm manner.
When Verhulst asked what had happened, ImperialHal explained, “Yeah, I got swatted again. This is the third time.” He added that it only happens when “he’s here” [his house] and never at other locations. “They literally just walked in and tapped on my shoulder. Like grabbed my shoulder. I was like ‘Who the fu** just grabbed me?’” said ImperialHal.
When one of his teammates asked if the officials know what is happening at this point since he has been swatted thrice already, ImperialHal said, “Yeah, a hundred percent. They told me I should do something about it but what am I supposed to do? I can’t do anything about it.”
However, ImperialHal seemed calm when he returned as he narrated how one of the cops played Apex Legends and recognized him and knew that he had 30,000 viewers.
Apex Legends streamer and content creator Christian "Nokokopuffs" Feliciano wrote on Twitter, “Can't believe people are still swatting others. It is beyond f*** up and they deserve a f*** ton of jail time. Actual sh*** human beings.”
The dangers of insensitive acts like swatting are extreme and they could lead to the loss of lives. In 2019, a Call of Duty player from Ohio was sentenced to 15 months in prison for recruiting a prankster to make a bogus emergency call that resulted in the fatal shooting of a Kansas man.
