Maryland authorities are investigating an apparent “swatting” incident in which a caller made a hoax report that Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Leonard G. Pitts Jr., may have committed a crime at his home.
Pitts Jr. told The Miami Herald he was awoken Sunday morning by Bowie Police who said they’d received a 911 call someone was “being murdered” in the home.
Pitts says he was told to exit the house and was ordered to his knees and handcuffed. Police searched the home and found no danger.
Bowie Police Chief John Nesky says he’s not prepared to call it “swatting” yet.
Pitts writes a column for the Miami Herald that runs nationally and often touches on controversial issues. Pitts says he doesn’t know if that’s why someone made the fake report.
