Wisconsin author Patrick Tomlinson and his wife say they've been subjected to police officers storming their home with guns drawn in yearslong "swatting" campaign.
Wisconsin science fiction author Patrick Tomlinson and his wife say they've been terrorized for years by cyberstalkers who send police SWAT teams to their door with fake 911 calls.
It's happened 42 times, the couple says. Guns drawn and in tactical gear, officers have shown up banging on their front door and even handcuffing Tomlinson in his front yard, he said. One call to police claimed Tomlinson had just killed his wife, Nikki Robinson.
"There are half a dozen police officers with shotguns, pistols drawn, assault rifles, all pointed at my face," he said. "I was yanked out of the house," he told Inside Edition.
Robinson said she was home alone one day when "a dozen officers at least swarmed the door with a special tactical squad where they had ballistic shields and giant guns," she said.
The couple says the reason for this campaign of terror is trivial. Tomlinson says he once criticized the late comedian Norm Macdonald online, saying he didn't think the "Saturday Night Live" comic was funny.
"Admit that Norm Macdonald is funny! DO IT NOW!" said one meme posted by cyberstalkers, he said.
The couple has also received threatening emails and voice messages, they said. Posters on Reddit have encouraged Tomlinson to kill himself, he said.
"This is what the group, this cyberstalking cult, does for fun. We were not the first person they did it to," Tomlinson said.
The couple says they're also frustrated that police continue to show up with guns drawn after receiving 42 false calls.
"One officer has been here multiple times and has tried to kick my door in," Tomlinson said.
Milwaukee police said they are obligated to respond to each call in accordance with departmental safety protocols. The couple says they hope the FBI will become involved in their case.
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