A Cuban family in Miami experienced a terrifying ordeal when armed police officers stormed their home following a false report of an active shooter in a residence in southwest Miami-Dade. Iris and Irania Hernández, the mother and daughter living in the house, recounted the harrowing event after authorities received a call on Monday night claiming that a mother had been shot inside the home and that the shooter was still present.
"They arrived with guns drawn, ordering us to come out with our hands up," Irania Hernández told Telemundo 51. She suspects the incident was a case of swatting, a dangerous prank where someone tricks law enforcement into dispatching a SWAT team to a location under false pretenses.
Irania further explained, "My mother was extremely agitated. We were screaming and crying, unsure of what to do... with our hands raised." At the time of the police arrival, her mother and her six-year-old son were in shock, she added. This was not the first time they had encountered such a situation; Irania mentioned that her son suffered a panic attack from the traumatic experience.
The Miami-Dade Police Department confirmed awareness of the incident and emphasized the seriousness of false emergency calls, as they significantly strain law enforcement resources and could lead to tragic outcomes. In Florida, making a false emergency call can result in severe legal repercussions, including second-degree felony charges if injuries occur, and first-degree felony charges if it leads to a fatality.
Seeking Justice for False Alarms
“I don't want this to happen again. We need to address this issue and find out who is responsible for these incidents. This individual should face consequences, including imprisonment," Irania stated in her demand for accountability. The Miami-Dade Police Department has assigned a detective to the case, but no further details are available as of the latest update.