YouTuber Paul ‘Ice Poseidon’ Denino has revealed that he has suffered from PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) after being swatted by trolls “multiple times a day.”
Swatting is a worryingly recurrent crime. Popular streamers have had their homes raided by armed police due to trolls online getting hold of their address and making hoax emergency phone calls to the authorities.
One content creator who knows about swatting all too well is Ice Poseidon, who was even swatted when boarding a plane – resulting in his permanent Twitch ban.
The IRL streamer has revealed that he was swatted as often as “four times a day” and was left fearing for his life. So much so, that it gave him PTSD.
Ice Poseidon claims he was swatted daily
In a Dexerto Originals documentary, Denino claimed that he was swatted on a daily basis after sharing his personal address or his location with viewers.
“I think I got swatted every single day for a year. Multiple times a day,” Denino said. “One time, a SWAT team came to my house three times in like four hours.”
When Denino approached the SWAT teams about the hoax, including the same officers who would attend the call, he was told that they still had to respond due to “protocol.”
(Topic starts at 14:18 in the video)
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However, some viewers argued that Denino “enjoyed” being swatted as it attracted attention. Although he admitted that it did bring him viewership, it also “brought the wrong kind of viewers.”
At one point, he feared for his life after a viewer claimed they claimed they were coming to his house with a gun during his livestream.
“I had real PTSD of being shot all the time,” Denino stated. “It took me a while to get over that. I could not keep my back to a window. I would think someone’s going to f**king shoot me through the window in my house.”
In the end, it was swatting that brought Ice Poseidon’s Twitch career to an end. Although he then moved to YouTube, it wasn’t enough to escape the problem.
Swatting is illegal and can carry a lengthy jail sentence. One particularly infamous swatter, Tyler Barriss, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for a swatting that resulted in the death of Kansas father, after he falsely claimed a kidnapping and shooting had taken place at the address.
