Keffals Opens Up About Horrific Swatting Incident

Swatting, the practice of calling the police and reporting a fake threat or incident at someone's address to provoke a raid by a SWAT team, has become a sad phenomenon in recent years. As CNN reported, these hoaxes, often intended as pranks or for revenge against some perceived offense, are incredibly dangerous and can result in deaths as police charge into what they believe is a treacherous situation and surprise an innocent, unsuspecting person. Individuals have been killed in swatting incidents and causing a death by swatting someone can land you in prison for decades.

Regrettably, swatting has come to be associated with the gaming community to some degree. In 2017, an online conflict in "Call of Duty" resulted in swatting death in one of many cases of video games leading to real-world tragedies. More than a few streamers have been swatted while live on stream. Recently, Adin Ross broke his silence on his own swatting. In a separate instance, a friend of IShowSpeed claimed the personality was swatted this week, though the truth of the incident is anything but clear.

Now, streamer Keffals has joined the unhappy ranks of swatting victims. The swatting has clearly left her shaken and she is already planning to move for her safety.

In a video posted to YouTube on August 9, Clara Sorrenti, who streams under the name Keffals, discusses the police raid of her home and her arrest on August 5. "I was told later that at 6 am that morning an email impersonating me was sent to every city councilor in the city of London, Ontario stating that I have an illegal firearm, that I killed my mother, and that I plan to go to city hall and shoot every cisgender person I see," says Keffals. The police responded by arresting her and seizing her and her fiancé's phones, computers, and other personal property as evidence, which Keffals says have not been returned.

In addition to the perpetrator of the swatting, Keffals also speaks out against the police response. She argues that the raid on her home, her treatment, and the repeated use of her deadname by officers were unjustified and indicate police bias against trans people. She also alleges that her family had previously warned the London, Ontario police that she could be swatted but that the police brushed off their concerns.

Keffals explains that the incident, which she attributes to hatred against her as a trans woman, has upended her life and the life of her fiancé and that they are still trying to recover from the financial and emotional trauma. She has set up a GoFundMe account and asks her viewers to support her efforts to rebuild and move out of the city where she feels unsafe.

If you or a loved one has experienced a hate crime, contact the VictimConnect Hotline by phone at 1-855-4-VICTIM or by chat for more information or assistance in locating services to help. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.