Calif. man allegedly made ‘swatting’ calls threatening ‘mass shooting’ at Sandy Hook school, other sites

A California man allegedly made “swatting calls” threatening to “commit mass shootings” at schools, including at Sandy Hook in Connecticut and to bomb Nashville International Airport on behalf of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, or ISIS, according to the Justice Department. 

Eduardo Vicente Pelayo Rodriguez, 31, of Riverside, Calif., is charged on an 18-count indictment with one count of stalking, seven counts of transmitting threats in interstate commerce, seven counts of engaging in hoaxes, and three counts of transmitting threats or false information regarding fire and explosives, according to the Justice Department.

Krysti Hawkins, acting assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, said Rodriguez “is alleged to have conducted swatting attacks, to include the callous targeting of an open wound at Sandy Hook, without regard for the potential consequences of this insidious type of hoax.”

“Perpetrators of swatting hoaxes should understand that the FBI and our local partners take these threats seriously and that the penalties – if convicted – are considerable,” Hawkins said.

Federal authorities said Rodriguez was arrested Tuesday and his arraignment was scheduled for Wednesday at the U.S. District Court in Riverside.

Federal authorities said in a statement that “swatting” mean falsely reporting “in the name of another person that an emergency is in progress or about to occur, with the intent to result in emergency services or law enforcement responding to that other person’s location or investigating them.”

Federal authorities, citing the indictment that the federal grand jury returned on May 16, said Rodriguez in January and February of 2023 allegedly used a Voice over Internal Protocol, or VoIP, service to “place more than a dozen calls impersonating the victim. Initially, Rodriguez called a suicide prevention center and a veterans crisis hotline, claimed to be the victim, and said that he was contemplating committing suicide or killing others.

“Rodriguez allegedly then called school staff at seven different elementary schools — in Riverside and San Bernardino counties, as well as Sandy Hook, Connecticut – and threatened to commit either a mass shooting or bombing at the schools,” federal authorities said in the statement. Further, Rodriguez allegedly called Nashville International Airport in Tennessee, and “said he had planted a bomb on a plane and in the airport, and said, ‘this is for ISIS, and ‘one hour, boom.'”

Law enforcement responded to the calls and determined they were fake, federal authorities said.

“The sorts of ‘swatting’ crimes alleged against this defendant are highly troubling,” said U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada, in the statement.“The indictment alleges that the defendant placed calls to schools, airports, and other locations that were designed to cause maximum fear and trigger an emergency response. ‘Swatting’ is a serious crime that can cause great trauma and risk loss of life, so it is important that we hold wrongdoers accountable.”

The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force is investigating the case. The Riverside Police Department, Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, Newtown Police Department, and Nashville Airport Authority “provided substantial assistance.”