Law enforcement deals with ‘swatting’ targeting shopping malls in South Florida

MIAMI – Law enforcement investigated threats of violence this weekend at shopping malls in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties.

The scares in Miami-Dade and Palm Beach were attributed to “swatting,” a harassment ploy to get emergency services to send a response team. The one in Broward did not merit an evacuation and remained under investigation Sunday afternoon.

In Miami-Dade, Sunday, police officers responded to Dadeland Mall, at 7535 North Kendall Drive, in Kendall. The bomb squad was involved in the investigation. The Miami-Dade Police Department reported there had been “a swatting call.”

In Broward, also Sunday, police officers responded to Sawgrass Mills, at 12801 West Sunrise Boulevard, in Sunrise. The Sunrise Police Department reported there was no evidence of a shooting, so there weren’t plans to evacuate the mall.

In Palm Beach, on Saturday, police officers did evacuate the Town Center at Boca Raton, at 6000 Glades Road.

According to the Boca Raton Police Department, the evacuation was “a precaution” after a caller made a threat from the mall’s north parking lot. Cody Conrad, a celebrity gamer known as Clixa and Cody Conrod, was live streaming on Twitch and said he had been “swatted.”

“We can’t get out of the mall because one of you guys swatted the mall and said there is a shooting going on in here next to my [expletive] car,” Conrad said during his livestream. “All the [expletive] stores are locked down. You literally can’t get out of the [expletive] building.”

Related on social media: Livestream on Twitch (WARNING: Expletives) Note: Forward to 2:41:28

This is a developing story. Local 10 News Assignment Desk Editors Joyce Grace Ortega and Mercedes Cevallos contributed to this report.