Police in Los Angeles are investigating the attempted ‘swarming’, such as making a hoax emergency call to send heavily armed police to an address, from a local Black Lives Matter activist.
Melina Abdullah, a professor at Cal State Los Angeles, streamed a live video on Instagram Wednesday of officers outside her home.
“I do not know why they are here,” she said in the stream, according to the Los Angeles Times. ‘They pointed guns at my house. There’s a helicopter upstairs. No one knocked on the door, but apparently they made announcements for people to come up with our hands. My kids are in the house. My kids are in the house. I do not know what this is. ”
LAPD spokesman Josh Rubenstein told the Times that the incident was “likely a swatting” and that the Major Crimes Division is investigating.
Abdullah, meanwhile, said she was not convinced it was a swatting. “I’m not buying her story, but will see what she comes up with,” she told the Times.
While Rubenstein said officers responded to a call regarding a house on Abdullah’s block and not necessarily her, the video makes it clear that officers are targeting her home, according to the newspaper. The video shows Abdullah walking out the front door after an officer asks her over a loudspeaker to step outside.
“You’re not in trouble,” one of the officers once told her she was outside.
“We got a call to this location that there’s a man there who’s holding your boys hostage, and he wants a million dollars or he’s going to kill you in an hour,” said another officer.
“This appears to be an illegal swath action (a prank call to bring armed officers to a particular address) and we need to hold anyone accountable,” Los Angeles City Councilwoman Herb Wesson wrote on Twitter.
‘While she’s all known to you as an activist at @BLMLA, [Abdullah] is the mother of three children and putting her family through here is unacceptable, regardless of where your politics may lie, ”he added.
While she is known to you all as an activist with @BLMLA, @DocMellyMel is the mother of three children and putting her family through here is not acceptable, no matter where your politics may lie.
– Herb J. Wesson, jr. (@HerbJWesson) August 12, 2020
Abdullah’s lawyer Cynthia Anderson-Barker asked police to handle the incident even if they believe she was in danger.
“If Melina is a target of anti-BLM people, the police should question conversations of this nature and try to support them instead of scaring them,” she said.
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