Man Arrested in Internet Hoax That Flooded 911 With Calls

LACEY (AP) — Police have arrested an 18-year-old man in connection with an internet hoax that flooded 911 Tuesday night with non-emergency calls in a western Washington county.

The Olympian reports the man was booked into Thurston County Jail on felony suspicion of electronic data service interference Wednesday.

Lacey police Sgt. Terence Brimmer says the man told police he received a link from a friend, tested it and posted it on his Facebook page as a joke.

Brimmer says smartphone users who clicked on the link watched as their phones became "hijacked," repeatedly dialing 911. Some users apparently had to remove their phone's batteries to get them to stop.

Officials say the non-emergency calls tied up Thurston 911 lines for about 30 minutes although anyone trying to make an emergency call was able to get through.