Riverside

Teen Behind ‘Damn, Daniel' Viral Video Target of 911 ‘Swatting' Prank: Police

In the video, a teen repeatedly says "Damn, Daniel," marveling over another teen's fashionable footwear.

Police armed with rifles and backed by air units surrounded a Southern California home overnight after receiving a 911 call of a woman gunned down inside the residence — only to learn that the call was a "swatting" prank on a teen whose viral "Damn, Daniel" video has captivated the Internet.

The caller reported just after 1 a.m. Tuesday they had shot their mother dead with an AK-47 assault rifle at a home in the 6200 block of Hamilton Drive in Riverside, prompting officers to swarm the neighborhood east of Los Angeles with guns drawn, said Lt. Kevin Townsend of the Riverside Police Department.

The family came out of the home and told police no one inside had been shot, and they had not placed the 911 call.

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Loudlabs/KNBC-TV
Police descend on a Riverside, California, home with guns drawn after receiving an early morning report of a woman shot dead inside on Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2016. Officers learned that the call was a prank on a teen behind a viral video.

While speaking with the family, officers learned that a teen who lives there is behind the "Damn, Daniel" viral video. The family told police they've been receiving phone calls from strangers ever since the online video gained fame.

Police cleared the scene and dismissed the call as a swatting hoax.

In the video, a teen repeatedly says "Damn, Daniel," marveling over another teen's fashionable footwear.

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"Damn, Daniel. Back at it again with the white Vans!" the teen gushes.

The video, posted on Twitter on Feb. 15, has spawned numerous memes and parodies.

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Loudlabs/KNBC-TV
A police helicopter shines a light on a Riverside, California, neighborhood after officers received an early morning report of a woman shot dead inside a home on Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2016. Officers learned that the call was a prank on a teen behind a viral video.
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