MARINE CITY, Mich. (WXYZ) — Marine City's quiet downtown, which was shaken by a dangerous prank, is returning to normal.
Police said it was a case of swatting Sunday night. Swatting calls are designed to draw a massive police response, and in some cases, swatting has turned deadly.
Watch Darren Cunningham's video report below:
Fortunately, that wasn't the case this time as the FBI hunts for a suspect.
The target was a family-owned chiropractic office on Water Street. Sherrill Zimmer’s family has practiced out of the building for nearly 60 years.
“We’re a very small town. So I mean, everybody was calling and (asking) ‘Are you OK? Are you OK?’” Zimmer told 7 News Detroit. “I had never heard of (swatting) before," she said.
Law enforcement had residents shelter in place. Investigators said the caller told dispatch he was holding three people hostage at gunpoint with an AR-15.
The caller demanded a $50,000 ransom and later claimed he shot multiple hostages, according to authorities.
“The area code we traced it to was out of California somewhere. FBI called us last night in the middle of the incident and inquired about the phone number. We provided the phone number and (the FBI) said that this phone number had actually been used nationwide in this type of event," Marine City Police Chief James Heaslip explained.
Investigators said the suspect may have been watching officers respond in real time on a camera through an online livestream of Marine City.
Police eventually had that camera turned in a different direction.
“That camera would swing up and down the sidewalk, and of course, we’re in the middle. And so you can see our building very, very clearly,” Zimmer explained.
Chad Borton, who lives across the street, said it felt like a scene out of a movie.
“It’s kind of surreal. Ya know, like, what’s going on in a small town. You don’t see this kind of stuff here," he said.
Borton even allowed officers into his second-floor apartment to help.
“They came up to (my apartment) to get a vantage point towards that building to see what was going on," he said. “It was a very scary situation. So, I just wanted to help by any means possible, ya know, to make sure our safety and everybody here was OK."
Zimmer said, “I’m just trying to stay positive and being grateful no one was hurt.”
But it was still a hit to taxpayers and law enforcement.
“Multiple resources were wasted last night because of some guy's prank. And unfortunately, I don’t know if we’re ever going to be able to find him, but we’re going to do everything we can to work with the FBI to try to find this bad guy and hold them accountable for his actions,” Heaslip said.
As investigators continue their search, the community is returning to reality.
“It’s back to normal. You see a lot more people walking, ya know, checking it out though," Borton said.
