Officials detail 3 earlier 911 prank calls before Lake Forest hoax
Orange County authorities Thursday released a summary of three previous calls made by the 19-year-old suspect accused of hacking into the county’s emergency 911 system.
The 911 calls were made to police departments in Arizona, Pennsylvania and Mukilteo, Wash., the hometown of suspect Randall T. Ellis, officials said.
From his Washington home, Ellis is accused of falsely reporting a murder at a Lake Forest home, prompting authorities to evacuate part of the neighborhood, send a helicopter and dispatch a SWAT team. The caller said someone had overdosed on cocaine, a man was dead and a woman had been shot in the face.
Deputies held a couple in the home until they determined that the report was fake. Authorities did not release transcripts of the false 911 calls in the Lake Forest case, citing the ongoing investigation. The calls were made March 29, and it took investigators more than six months to track down Ellis and unravel what had occurred.
In the earlier calls, for which he has not been charged, Ellis claimed in 2005 to have shot someone after stealing his crack pipe in Bullhead City, Ariz.; claimed in 2005 to have shot his sister in Millcreek Township, Penn.; and claimed early this year to have shot a family member with an AK-47 in his hometown of Mukilteo, officials said.
Ellis is in jail in Washington, and expected to arrive today in Orange County. His arraignment is set for Monday.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
