A large police presence responded to Rivers Casino on Friday night for a reported shooting threat that is now believed to be a case of swatting.
Pittsburgh police said a call was received saying a man was going to begin shooting at the casino. Police responded, but nothing was found.
“Pittsburgh Police and Pa. State Police are still actively clearing the scene, but this currently appears to be a swatting incident,” a city police spokesperson told Pittsburgh’s Action News 4.
The situation unfolded at the start of a holiday weekend on the North Shore, where PNC Park was sold out for a Noah Kahan concert and the casino was filled with customers.
Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 reporter Jordan Cioppa spoke with Ethan Harris, a casino patron visiting from New Hampshire. He estimated there were hundreds of people inside.
“When I walked in, the cop cars showed up at the same time. They said don’t go into the parking garage,” Harris said. “Then everything was kind of hush-hush. About 15 minutes go by, then the cops said everything’s OK, you can go inside, there’s not really anything going on right now.”
He added, “I feel like I’m secure. I don’t really feel like there’s too much of a threat going on because I think if there was a threat, they would evacuate the casino, so they obviously have it handled.”
This is a developing story. Stay with Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 for updates.
Download the WTAE app to stay connected with breaking news. Sign up for our email newsletters to get breaking news in your inbox.
Hearst Television participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.
Leave a Reply