Three months after she introduced the Internet Swatting Hoax Act in US Congress, Representative Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) found herself at the end of an apparent swatting attempt on Sunday night.

Melrose, Massachusetts police press spokesperson John Guilfoil confirmed to Ars Technica that the department received a phone call from "a computerized voice, not a natural voice" alleging "shots fired" and an "active shooter" at the address of Clark's home. The resulting police report confirmed an incident time of 9:57pm for a "life alert alarm" and "automated call reporting shooter."

This type of police report—using a disguised voice to allege false threats at a residence—is known as "swatting," due to the likelihood that police departments will react by sending SWAT teams to respond to serious-sounding threats. In the case of the Sunday night call, however, Guilfoil confirmed that Melrose police followed "established protocols" to choose a de-escalated response of normal police officers, though the officers in question blocked traffic on both ends of Clark's street with patrol cars. Guilfoil was unable to clarify whether weapons were drawn at the scene, and he did not answer our other questions about the incident, particularly those about the nature of the phone call received, "due to the ongoing nature of the investigation."

Though Representative Clark was unreachable for comment in time for this article's publication, she posted a link on her social media channels to a Boston Globe report about the incident, along with a statement: "I'm thankful no one was hurt and grateful for the timeliness and professionalism of the Melrose Police Dept." The Globe report confirms that Clark and her husband Rodney were home watching the HBO series Veep when police arrived at her home on Sunday night.

Clark told the Globe that the incident "will really cause me to double down" on efforts to combat swatting and other forms of online abuse—continuing her vocal streak against such practices. In November, she became the first US Representative to become lead sponsor of a bill that specifically targeted false police reports made over the Internet; the bill was referred to a Congressional subcommittee in December. Clark will continue speaking out against the practice at this March's South By Southwest, where she will take part in an all-day Online Harassment Summit.