A Black woman said she was swatted and she has every reason to believe it was her new white neighbor’s fault. Here’s what we’ve learned about the situation.
In a viral TikTok clip with over 879,300 views and over 70,000 likes, user Tameka B. (@thetamekabazile) explained what went down.
“Months ago, a white woman moved into my predominantly Black, suburban apartment complex,” the woman began in the clip.
Things quickly took a dark turn in the story.
“Today, my fiancé and I were swatted,” she said, referring to the practice of calling a SWAT team to someone’s house.
Why was she swatted?
The woman went on to explain that during a normal day while her and her fiancé worked remotely, a SWAT team descended on her home.
“I’m in the living room with my dog and something piques her interest at the door,” she recalled.
At first, the woman assumed it was a package delivery, but after her dog reacted with extreme alarm, she figured something more serious was going on.
Tameka said she ran over to her door and noticed someone was “jiggling” the door handle.
“Somebody is trying to key into the apartment,” she continued.
When the woman looked out of the peep hole, she was surprised to discover “a sea” of police officers.
She then provided a video of police holding a gun and riot shield at her front door.
Allegedly, the police instructed her to immediately open the door and she refused out of concern for the safety of her dog. She ran to inform her fiancé about what was happening and then returned to the door and opened it a crack.
“Can you take a step back?” the officers allegedly asked through the door. “We need you to put your hands up.”
Tameka said that she felt more vulnerable than she ever had before in her life in that moment. She began to question why the cops were at her door and that is when she was told that they were called by a neighbor who reported two gun shots coming from her apartment or the apartment next door.
After a brief interaction, the cops left.
The woman then explained why she believes they were called by a white woman who recently moved into the apartment complex.
“I do know it was her because last night my fiancé observed some weird behavior from her on our Ring camera,” she said.
The TikToker claimed she spotted the neighbor on her Ring camera after she was approached by police officers who were called by someone else.
“My assumption, and I know my gut is right, is that she called the cops today, pointed them in the direction of the two apartments on our floor because she knew it had to be one of those apartments who called the cops on her last night,” she said.
According to the ADL, the leading anti-hate organization in the world, swatting is “the deliberate and malicious act of reporting a false crime or emergency to evoke an aggressive response (often a SWAT team) from a law enforcement agency to a target’s residence or place of work to harass and intimidate them.” It’s been an issue in law enforcement for the past decade, and a trend that traces its rise to teens pranking each other over video games.
In the comments section, many urged the TikToker to take legal action against her neighbor.
“People have been swatted and have lost their lives,” one user wrote. “Please pursue her legally if you can so she doesn’t do it to anyone else.”
“That’s a civil lawsuit,” user Kat’s Joyful Health Journey commented. “Get a lawyer and sue that woman.”
“I’m so glad yall are ok,” user Mrs. C xoxo commented.
@thetamekabazile This is the second time in my life where I’ve been swatted. Like wtf?
♬ original sound – Tameka B.
In recent years, individuals, institutions, celebrities and influencers have been targeted. People from marginalized communities are especially vulnerable.
For example, during the summer of 2023, at least 72 Jewish institutions feel victim to swatting incidents. Nicki Minaj was also swatted on several occasions.
The Daily Dot reached out to Tameka B. for comment via email.
