On March 17, 2024 at 8:31 AM, Norwalk Combined Dispatch received information from NYPD stating they received a call that a woman was being held at gun point at a home in Norwalk.
Norwalk Patrol Officers responded to the scene, established a perimeter, and began to contact the residents. Officers quickly determined the call to be a hoax.

The Detective Bureau assumed the investigation and determined the caller, Maurice Smith, an ex-boyfriend of the victim, initiated a swatting prank. As a result of their investigation, an arrest warrant was granted for Smith, who turned himself in to Norwalk Police Headquarters on April 25, 2024.
Swatting is a dangerous act that involves someone making a false report to emergency services to initiate a serious law enforcement response.