Swatting call on Georgia congresswoman leads to deadly car accident

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - An instance of swatting turned deadly this week in Rome.

Swatting, the act of calling in a fake crime to police to draw their response to a particular place, is becoming increasingly more common. It’s been such a problem in Georgia, lawmakers last year passed SB 421 to make swatting a misdemeanor and increase the penalties. Now, a single swatting call could land someone in jail for up to a year.

But an incident on Monday proved the dangers of swatting, even for those not directly targeted.

Police in Rome received an email threat claiming there had been a bomb placed in the mailbox of Georgia U.S. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. Police, through Greene’s team, found out she was not home but dispatched a response.

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While an officer was on his way to the unit’s bomb squad headquarters to assist with the investigation, 66-year-old Tammie Pickelsimer pulled out in front of him and collided with the officer. Pickelsimer later succumbed to her injuries at a local hospital.

“The department holds the individual responsible for sending the threatening email fully accountable for setting this tragic chain of events into motion,” the Rome Police Department said in a statement. “In collaboration with Congresswoman Greene’s office, the Rome Police Department is working with federal authorities to ensure the perpetrator is apprehended and brought to justice.”

Officials later linked the call to Russia. It’s the latest instance of dangerous swatting activity that has impacted lawmakers at the state and federal level and their communities.

“This affects people regardless of party, regardless of your beliefs,” said Georgia State Sen. Jason Esteves (D-Atlanta). “It endangers the lawmaker, it endangers the family, and puts them in a spot where people can end up hurt or dead.”

Esteves was a sponsor of SB 421 and has had people show up to his home unannounced in the past. Many of the other sponsors of the bill have experienced the same, including Republican State Sen. Clint Dixon, who was swatted twice in two days last Christmas.

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“You’re relaxing at home, especially on Christmas watching football and all of a sudden, you hear your wife screaming hysterically that police are coming up the steps,” said Dixon. “It’s dangerous, people can get hurt, or loss of life.”

Swatting also depletes resources from law enforcement agencies called to respond. Charles Yarbaugh, a retired D.C. SWAT officer now living in Atlanta, said for smaller departments, it can be even more dangerous.

“The people that are doing this think it’s a game, think that it’s funny,” he said. “You may have an agency that may not have that many officers. So now all of them are going to this one location and now you have another call for service that is of a serious nature and is real, now we have to find out how quickly we can get there.”