Massachusetts investigating after hackers fake hostage situation at jewelry store
By Jennifer Peñate
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COHASSET, Massachusetts (WCVB) — Police shut down Route 3A in Cohasset Sunday evening after responding to a reported hostage situation, which was later determined to be a hoax, at King Jewelers near Brewster Road.
Cellphone video shared with NewsCenter 5 showed officers shutting down the busy roadway and focusing on the jewelry store.
“There’s 10 cruisers in front; they’re waiting for somebody,” a person said in the video.
Cohasset police confirmed that a man called the regional dispatch center, claiming he was barricaded inside King Jewelers and holding two hostages at gunpoint with a pistol and rifle.
“The caller stated he was armed with both a pistol and a rifle and demanded money in exchange for the hostages’ safe release,” police said.
Tactical officers from five agencies surrounded the building and eventually made their way inside, finding no hostages. Police determined the call was an elaborate hoax.
Authorities said the caller hacked into the business’s video surveillance system, which allowed him to accurately describe the inside and outside of the store to dispatchers.
Police are now investigating who made the fake call and how they accessed King Jewelers’ surveillance system.
Cohasset police Chief William Quigley commended the dispatchers for their response to the situation.
“Dispatchers kept the caller on the phone for an extended period, remained calm and professional, and gathered a tremendous amount of information that will be valuable to our detectives as they work to identify the person responsible,” Quigley said.
Quigley reminded everyone that fake calls like this are far from harmless, saying they put officers at risk and take them away from real emergencies.
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