YouTuber Ludwig Ahgren hosted a chess tournament broadcast on August 28 that ended with the streamer getting swatted.
Ludwig’s chess tournament was suddenly shut down when police officers from the city of Los Angeles charged into his home. The armed officers barged into his home after receiving a concerning call and then began searching through his rooms.
After the incident, Ludwig got on stream and informed his viewers that everyone was “fine.” He had apparently gone upstairs to get more water but was met with a police officer holding a weapon. This is unfortunately not the first time something like this has happened to Ludwig and he is accustomed to the process, which includes police searching each room.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWfHkQBVACg
“As you can see, I’m not too shaken up. Maybe a little bit of adrenaline. Generally, I’m pretty fine. The initial part is kind of scary but then it’s quickly overwhelmed with a sense of annoyance. I’m just annoyed,” Ludwig said.
Ludwig criticizes police after getting swatted mid-stream
Ludwig is no stranger to swatting. The popular streamer has been swatted multiple times in the past year and is aware of the protocol by now. According to Ludwig, the police will often “take it very seriously at first,” showing up with multiple cars, firetrucks, or even a helicopter.
While the police are reacting to a potential threat, Ludwig did question the police department this time around. He called the Los Angeles police “inept” since they are clearly getting calls about the same house over and over again but don’t seem to take that into consideration in their response.
“Every time it’s happened to me before, they say, ‘Hey, give us a phone number and we’ll call you when it happens again.’ Because of that, I always have my phone on me when I stream. I’m prepared for a phone call. The problem is, they’ve never called. Every time they come, I get a little more annoyed,” Ludwig said.
Ludwig told fans that a police officer once told him that he should just get a different job to avoid the swatting from happening again.
“That can’t be the solution,” Ludwig said.
Swatting is unfortunately common for big streamers. Malicious viewers watching a stream will figure out the streamers’ location and then call police about a fake threat at the address. The goal is to get the police to interrupt the stream for the viewer’s entertainment. Though there isn’t much that’s really entertaining about these potentially dangerous situations.
While treated like a prank by some, swatting has had deadly results in the past, with some
gamers even being killed by police
over false threats.
Olivia Richman
About Olivia Richman
Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.
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