It has become apparent that a SWAT response in Arlington was the result of a possible case of mistaken identity.
Arlington Police got a call shortly before 3:30 on Monday afternoon about a potentially armed man at the Hudson Apartments just off Northeast Green Oaks Boulevard.
The 911 caller stated that he had been receiving threats on social media and that the man who he thought was making the threats was wearing a hoodie and was holding a firearm partially covered by a towel.
Responding officers found what turned out to be a 16-year-old boy matching that description; and concerned that he may be armed, they pointed their guns at him.
It turns out that the boy did not have a gun on him.
Police said the boy stood in place and was unresponsive to the officers' demands.
"My little brother has a fear of cops and froze in place with all the guns pointed at him and talked about how he saw the green lasers and he did not know if he was to risk it getting in the house or just stand there," the boy's older brother, Relius Johnson, wrote on his Facebook page.
Johnson is the boy's legal guardian.
As the boy remained frozen, additional SWAT officers arrived at the scene.
During this time, other officers were talking to the original 911 caller and noted some inconsistencies in his story.
Johnson said he was able to calm his brother down, and police say officers detained him without any physical force.
After determining that the boy was not armed and he was not the one who made the threats to the 911 caller, police released him to his brother, and they offered the family counseling services for their ordeal.
Police said while the investigation is ongoing, they do not believe that this is a "swatting" incident.
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