A Talladega County man was recently swatted overnight, and his work as a conservative freelance writer is likely what led to the frightening ordeal.
Swatting is when a false call is made to law enforcement to encourage an escalated response in which SWAT will likely respond to a home or business. The purpose is to terrify the target. However, in some cases, those targets lose their lives.
With increased swatting cases over the past decade, the FBI began tracking SWAT cases in 2023. Within the past week, at least 13 conservative podcast hosts, writers and commentators have been targeted nationwide.
Larry Taunton, who lives on Lay Lake, was one of those targeted.
Taunton has worked for The Federalist, The Atlantic, Fox News, CNN, USA Today, Al Jazeera, the Daily Wire and others.
His recent work includes investigating the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in South America and Egypt. Taunton believes his work likely created enemies.
Just three weeks ago, Taunton was detained by Egypt's abusive National Security Agency (NSA), which is known for its threatening and intimidating tactics against anyone participating in political activism.
"I've been following their [USAID] corruption in South America and tracking what is essentially human trafficking that they've been involved there in cartel towns and this sort of thing," Taunton explained. "And then I went from there to Africa and was in Cairo just three weeks ago or whatever it is now and had a run-in at USAID that got loads of attention, lots and lots of attention where the Egyptian secret police had every intention of killing me except for the fact that they couldn't get me to enter the compound."
Taunton escaped the incident and made it safely back to U.S. soil. Just hours before the swatting call, as he was at dinner with his wife, he said he took a moment to appreciate the peace of mind of not working overseas. The couple left the restaurant and settled back into their home on a quiet cul-de-sac.
It was at 3:05 a.m. on Monday when the ordeal began.
Chief Deputy Josh Tubbs said dispatch received a call from someone reporting that three burglars entered his home and shot him, his wife and child. He said he was holed up in the bathroom, and the suspects were still on the scene.
Meanwhile, Taunton and his wife were in bed, but he was not yet asleep. His dog, a German shepherd named Ranger, lay in a bed nearby.
Deputies arrived on the scene with assistance from the Sylacauga and Childersburg police. Due to the nature of the call, they entered the property "blacked out" without lights and sirens.
While Taunton sat unaware, Ranger was on edge. His ears went up, and the fur on his shoulders raised.
Protecting is a natural trait for Ranger. He comes from a police kennel in Mississippi and is the descendant of two champion police dogs.
"He was listening, and I thought, 'I must have a mouse in here,' because he was looking around, and it never dawned on me there were five armed men coming down my driveway," Taunton said.
But they were. And the following moments would determine the difference between life and death.
Security camera footage shows the officers quietly entering the home's deck. Already an unusual call for rural Talladega County, the deputies were skeptical but cautious.
"It's really none of my business, but it don't look like there's been three or four guys in here that's shot everybody," one of the officers stated.
Even after hearing what he thought were voices, Taunton dismissed concerns, but Ranger didn't. The dog remained on edge, so Taunton got out of bed to investigate. That's when he saw lights flickering in the windows.
"If you lived in the city, you might think, Those are headlights on a car driving by,' but not where I live," he explained.
The deputies, armed with rifles in the dark of night, slowly cased the home, looking through the glass doors and windows.
That's when Taunton became concerned. He did not immediately suspect police because he never saw blue lights or heard sirens. There was no knock on the door, and he could tell whoever was outside was trying to be quiet.
He grabbed his weapon and went to investigate.
"So, I'm armed, and I'm coming out of my bedroom, and I can see on my deck, and I can see the silhouette of a man kind of tiptoeing on my deck with an AR-15," Taunton said.
He turned on a light, and that's when one of the officers identified himself as police.
Still, Taunton wasn't sure because of his experience in Egypt. He asked the police to identify themselves and show their badges.
"They were amped up. I was amped up. They're armed. I'm armed," Taunton said. "This can go sideways very easily."
A deputy illuminated his badge, and Taunton confirmed that it was law enforcement on his deck. He put his weapon down and was able to approach them.
That's when Taunton learned someone had made a fake call targeting his home.
"One of the officers would later tell me, you know, by the time you turn on the light, I'm already thinking this is probably a bogus call," Taunton said. "He said, 'I could tell you'd been in bed,' and the way I was dressed, barefoot, I'm in some boxers and a T-shirt, and the house was clearly dark, and there weren't dead people all over the place. So, he said, 'I thought to myself, I'd be armed too."
Taunton is thankful the officers were reasonable in accepting that he was armed, given the fact they showed up at his house in the middle of the night. He is also thankful his door was locked because he said if someone had entered his home unannounced, the situation would've ended differently.
"If I come out and I see a man standing in my living room, especially with a weapon, I'm not asking questions; I'm opening fire," he said. "And so, thank God that didn't happen."
"Lesson of the day: trigger discipline. It matters," said Taunton. "I didn't fire on them; they didn't fire on me."
While Taunton said the incident was a good drill, he said Ranger is the real hero.
"If Ranger hadn't alerted me, let's just say I don't know how that situation would've ended, but it could've been worlds apart from what actually happened," said Taunton.
The Talladega Sheriff's Office is investigating. Tubbs said the situation was dangerous for Taunton and investigators.
"We have really good deputies, and they do a fantastic job," Tubbs told 1819 News. "I'm not surprised that they handled this situation as well as they did."
"Whoever made the call, at the very least, wanted to terrify me and my wife, and whoever made that call was okay with the possibility that people got killed," Taunton said. "So, in a sense, this is attempted murder, and it's a very intense situation."
"This could have gone Sideways very easily, and given the nature of my work, I had reason to believe that people walking around on my deck meant to do me harm," he continued.
Even though Taunton was startled, he said he would not stop doing his job. He said the threat was proof that he was doing something right.
"This is my life," Taunton said. "And it's my chosen profession. This just tells me I'm over the target. I'm a Christian, and I take very seriously my calling, and I believe that what I do for a living is my calling."
"It's not merely a job for me, it's not just a way of supporting my family," he added. "I do it because I believe this is where the Lord wants me to be. There's a spiritual aspect to this kind of work and to your kind of work. When you are assailing strongholds, it gets a reaction. If you're going after something like USAID, or you're going after human trafficking, or you're criticizing corruption in Ukraine, all things that I've done, it upsets people."
FBI Director Kash Patel released a statement Friday addressing the recent swatting incidents targeting media figures.
"The FBI is aware of this dangerous trend, and my team and I are already taking action to investigate and hold those responsible accountable," Patel stated. "This isn't about politics—weaponizing law enforcement against ANY American is not only morally reprehensible but also endangers lives, including those of our officers. That will not be tolerated. We are fully committed to working with local law enforcement to crack down on these crimes."
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