Sanford police say standoff call was 'swatting' hoax

SANFORD, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - What police thought was a possible standoff in Sanford this evening turned out to be a case of "swatting," where someone calls 911 and gives a random address for an emergency that turns out to be fake. 

Police received a 911 call Thursday evening, claiming that there was a hostage situation taking place at a home on Hickory Avenue.   When Sanford police arrived, they realized it was all a hoax.  "When we deploy to situation like this, this was a  lot of manpower that came out here, multiple agencies cooperating together, but ultimate our goal is to make sure that nobody is injured and every one is safe, so we do what we need to do," said Bianca Gillett with the Sanford Police Department.

Police do not know who was behind the call, but they are looking into it.  Anyone with information is asked to contact the Sanford Police Department.