A London woman whose identity was stolen and used to threaten city staff via email said she’s no longer deemed a suspect in the police investigation.
Clara Sorrenti, known as Keffals on the streaming platform, Twitch, made headlines earlier this week when she uploaded a video pleading for help after she was arrested at gunpoint by London police officers on August 5. Sorrenti said she was arrested after emails threatening to harm London politicians were sent by someone impersonating her.
After Sorrenti was shown the emails, she said she informed police that she was swatted, a criminal harassment tactic where someone attempts to deceive police into responding to a fake emergency. Sorrenti said she had been a victim of swatting attacks in the past.
Police later released Sorrenti without any charges. However, investigators held on to several of her and her fiancé’s devices and allegedly informed her she would remain a suspect in the investigation. Sorrenti said her belongings were returned on Wednesday.
On Thursday, Sorrenti announced on Twitter that London Police Service Chief Steve Williams told her she is no longer considered a suspect in the probe.
“I talked to the Chief of Police of London Police Services, and I am no longer a suspect in the investigation,” Sorrenti tweeted. “They are now acknowledging this situation as swatting.”
I talked to the Chief of Police of London Police Services and I am no longer a suspect in the investigation. They are now acknowledging this situation as swatting.
— keffals (@keffals) August 11, 2022
During her time in police custody last Friday, Sorrenti, an openly transgender woman, said investigators referred to her by her former name despite the fact it has been legally changed. She claimed officers called her by her deadname, the name she was given at birth because the attacker who swatted her used both her current name and deadname in the emails police were told about.
Sorrenti often uses her social media platform and said she believes this is the reason why she has been targeted. She claimed she has also attempted to have herself and her family placed on a no-swatting list in the past to no avail.
“Instead of the police helping me, they terrorized me and my loved ones, traumatizing me and leaving both my fiancé and I on the verge of losing everything,” Sorrenti said in her YouTube video posted on Tuesday. “They victimized me for being the victim of a hate crime.”
Chief Williams later announced that police will be reviewing Sorrenti’s arrest, including the allegations about her being misgendered and misidentified.
“We acknowledge the distress this has caused Ms. Sorrenti, and we will be reviewing the occurrence to understand how that might have happened. At this time, we are still in the process of gathering the information necessary for this review,” Williams said on Wednesday.
LondonNewsToday.ca has reached out to the London Police Service for additional comment.
