MALICIOUS "SWATTING" HOAX TRIGGERS MASS PANIC AT UNLV STUDENT UNION; ACCOUNTABILITY DEMANDED

LAS VEGAS, NV — The tranquility of a Friday afternoon at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) was shattered yesterday when a “swatting” call—a high-stakes criminal hoax designed to draw a massive armed police response—triggered a lockdown at the Student Union. While no physical injuries were reported, the incident has reignited a fierce debate over public safety resources and the lack of stringent consequences for those who weaponize emergency services.

At approximately 3:30 PM on February 20, 2026, a barrage of units from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and University Police swarmed the campus following a report of an active threat. Students, still reeling from the traumatic memory of the 2023 campus shooting, were forced into “Run-Hide-Fight” protocols as officers with long guns cleared the building. By early evening, officials confirmed the call was a total fabrication.

From a public policy standpoint, this incident is a glaring example of the strain placed on our overextended law enforcement. Every minute a SWAT team spends clearing a hoax is a minute they are unavailable for genuine life-and-death emergencies. For a state that prides itself on personal responsibility, the current legal framework for swatting remains dangerously lenient. These are not “pranks”; they are acts of psychological terrorism that carry a heavy fiscal burden for taxpayers. It is high time for the Nevada legislature to treat these hoaxes as the high-level felonies they are, ensuring that the perpetrators—not the public—pay the price for the chaos they sow.

Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal, UNLV Official Statement.