Stream Interrupted: ImperialHal Gets Swatted During Apex Legends Match
During a livestream of Apex Legends, professional gamer ImperialHal experienced an unexpected interruption when the police paid him a visit.
Unfortunately, swatting incidents are still occurring in the gaming community. Swatting is when someone calls the police and falsely reports a dangerous situation at a streamer’s home, in hopes of having law enforcement show up during their livestream. This wasn’t the first time it had happened to ImperialHal, so he seemed relatively unfazed by the ordeal.
The Incident Unfolds
ImperialHal was in the middle of a ranked game with his TSM teammate Evan Verhulst and former TSM member Mac “Albralelie” Beckwith when the police arrived. Verhulst’s stream captured the moment when ImperialHal abruptly stopped playing, although his teammates initially didn’t notice. The chat quickly informed everyone that Hal had been swatted.
On Hal’s livestream, viewers could hear loud knocks on his door before a police officer entered the room and shook him on the shoulder to get his attention. The officer informed Hal that he had been swatted, but assured him he could resume playing shortly. Hal then turned off his microphone and camera.
The Aftermath
After a few minutes, Hal returned to his stream and explained what had happened. He shared that the police are aware that these swatting calls are often pranks, but suggested that streamers have limited options for dealing with anonymous calls. Moving addresses is one of the few solutions, but not always feasible.
Hal also mentioned that one of the officers who responded to the call recognized him and may also be an Apex player. When asked if he was a “big deal,” Hal’s viewership of around 30,000 was confirmed by the officer.
Swatting Consequences and Team Victory
Unfortunately, it can be challenging to track down and punish swatters, even though ImperialHal has experienced multiple incidents. Fortunately, in this particular situation, the police recognized that Hal was not a threat and handled the situation calmly. And despite losing one player due to the interruption, Verhulst and Albralelie still managed to secure a victory in their ranked game.