An argument over a video game apparently sparked a fake bomb and kidnapping threat that resulted in a major police response in Aldergrove.
At 11:30 p.m., the Langley RCMP received a call from the Peel Regional Police, a force in Ontario.
An anonymous call, computer-generated and non-traceable, and threatened a bombing and kidnapping at a Langley residence, said Cpl. Holly Marks, spokesperson for the Langley RCMP.
“We called for the ERT [Emergency Response Team] and they weren’t available, so we handled it ourselves,†Marks said.
Police had been given a non-existent address, but based on a name used in the message, found a nearby house that appeared to be the target.
There was no bomb and no one had been kidnapped, but police spoke to the family, and realized that a child in the house had recently been arguing with another player online in the video game Call of Duty.
The player’s screen name, Yolandas, was traced back to a real person, an older teenager from the Vancouver area.
Police have spoken to Yolandas over the phone and confirmed his real identity, and he may have done this kind of thing before, said Marks.
The investigation is ongoing, and if the call can be linked to the suspect, the RCMP will recommend charges, Marks said.