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Reed credits working closely with local authorities for preventing the swatting hoax.
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. — A Montgomery County transgender reporter and activist was the target of a "swatting" attempt at her home Tuesday morning, according to police.
Erin Reed, a self-described independent journalist in a relationship with Montana state Rep. Zooey Zephyr, first broke the news on her Twitter account, tying the prank call to her reporting and advocacy efforts.
"Someone just attempted to SWAT me for reporting on transgender legislation and events," Reed said in a tweet.
Zephyr has gained national attention over the last several weeks after she was barred from returning to the Montana House floor for speaking out against anti-trans legislation and suggesting Republicans "have blood on their hands."
A spokesperson for the Montgomery County Police Department confirmed the incident to WUSA9 in an email, saying they received a call Tuesday morning that Reed was in danger. But because Reed says she had anticipated such a thing could happen, she had been in communication with the department, and thus they responded to her house for a welfare check rather than sending in a SWAT team.
The officers spoke with Reed, and she told them that she was fine and that her “information got leaked," MCPD told WUSA9.
Somebody just attempted to SWAT me for my reporting on transgender legislation and events.
Thankfully, I've worked closely with the police in my community anticipating this, and the attempt failed.
I will never stop advocating for my community and will never be silenced.
Zephyr later tweeted that she had also been targeted in a similar attack, and said she was safe.
"We have seen violence and hate targeted at the trans community in recent months, and the attempt to SWAT me and my partner is just another example of that,” Reed said in a statement to WUSA9. “They are willing to do anything to silence their fiercest critics. Their attempts to do so will not succeed.”
MCPD has not yet said whether they are attempting to trace those who made the false report.
Maj. Brian Ruck, an expert in active shooter training with the Fairfax County Police, weighed in on the dangers of attempted swattings.
"Without a doubt you're putting so many people are at risk," Ruck said. "Police officers are under the microscope to get there quickly and solve the problem. And that's how our officers are trained to get on scene and neutralize a threat."
He added that false reporting is a crime in most states.
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