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After an individual claimed that a resident left a lengthy message on Reddit indicating a mass shooting threat, investigators of the Sheriff's Department believed that the person mentioned on the post was a victim of 'Swatting.'

Social Media Prank

The community in California was rocked early Sunday by the prank or false emergency report. It causes a large police response, but the law enforcement said there is no credible threat to the public.

According to New York Post, the Lakewood officials wrote on their social media accounts that the real person named in the post has "cooperated fully" with the investigators from the Sheriff's Department. They also stated that the Sheriff's Department would be investigating further to determine the person responsible for the fake post.

Moreover, in the original post, the person, who identified himself as 'Gaston Aaron Mcwhinnie,' stated he has lived his whole life in the community of Lakewood, a city around 20 miles south of Los Angeles. "Mcwhinnie" claimed that he is unemployed and has always had a negative home life. He also mentioned in the post that he hates minorities despite being black himself.

Furthermore, "Mcwhinnie" then threatened that he will be going to go around the city of Lakewood while carrying a "Glock 18" and an "AR-15" where he will be shooting every minority in his sight. He mentioned that he will be aiming for at least ten individuals. He said that the more victims he will have, the better. Even council members of Lakewood were mentioned in the post of"Mcwhinnie," where he stated that they were also his targets, Fox News reported.

At the end of the post, 'Mcwhinnie' stated that he had left a 192-manifesto, explaining and rationalizing his hate towards minorities. A photo of a Glock 18 also appeared in the original post. The weapon was laid on top of army camouflage.

Meanwhile, officials of the city of Lakewood stated that Lakewood Sheriff's Department does not believe in the credibility of the threat. But they mentioned that they will be taking the necessary steps in addressing the post and the person behind the false emergency.

The members of the city council were asked regarding the threat, but they were not able to release an official statement yet. However, council member Todd Rodgers stated on his social media account that the city council is aware of the threats that the city is currently facing, despite being considered as a false emergency. Rodgers mentioned that the police do not believe that the threats are credible, but they would be investigating.

Based on the statement, 'Swatting' includes fake 911 calls or any communication that reports a crime in progress "with the intent of creating hysteria and a large-scale law enforcement response." On Sunday afternoon, the original post appeared to have been deleted or no longer available.

A month ago, Bates County also received 'Swatting' calls, KMBC reported. The said swatting calls happened in two different locations at around 11:50 p.m.