Couple was swatted 55 times in 2 years over a post about Norm Macdonald

Sheena Goodyear(external link) | CBC Radio | Posted: October 5, 2026 10:15 PM | Last Updated: October 5

Patrick Tomlinson and Niki Robinson awarded $575K US settlement from City of Milwaukee

Caption: Niki Robinson, left, and Patrick Tomlinson have been awarded a $575,000 US settlement by the City Milwaukee after armed police officers came to their home 55 times in two years responding to bogus reports of violent crime. (Submitted by Patrick Tomlinson)

The first time heavily armed police officers showed up at Patrick Tomlinson's house, he was asleep in bed, naked. 

It was 1 a.m. on July 25, 2022, and someone had reported a hostage situation at his house in Milwaukee, where he lives with his wife, Niki Robinson.

"All of a sudden there's people pounding on the door," Tomlinson told As It Happens host Nil Kӧksal.

"I go outside to be pulled out of the house by eight or nine police officers [and] handcuffed on the front porch, which I can tell you is the least fun I've had handcuffed and naked in my life."

Tomlinson, a science fiction writer and comedian, hadn't committed a crime. He was the victim of "swatting," a harassment technique in which someone places a hoax call reporting a serious threat in order to send armed police to the target's home. 

Over the course of the next two and a half years, Tomlinson and Robinson were swatted 55 times, despite repeatedly explaining their situation to the Milwaukee Police Department. They sued, and have been awarded a $575,000 US settlement from the City of Milwaukee. 

LISTEN | Interview with 'swatting' victim Patrick Tomlinson:Media Audio | As It Happens :

Caption: A Milwaukee couple was awarded a $575,000 US settlement from the city after armed police officers showed up at their homes 55 times in two years responding to bogus reports of violent crimes. Patrick Tomlinson speaks to As It Happens host Nil Kӧksal about suffering years of targeted harassment.

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When asked for comment, Milwaukee police referred CBC to city attorney Evan Goyke, who did not respond to multiple requests for comment. 

“While Niki and Patrick’s settlement provided closure and an acknowledgment of the violations of their rights, it is just as important that Milwaukee be more proactive looking forward," Jack Idlas, a lawyer for the couple, said in an emailed statement.

"The city has made no changes to policy and no officers have been disciplined for violating Niki and Patrick’s constitutional rights. That’s hard to believe after the taxpayers settled for over a half million dollars.

It started with a tweet

Tomlinson traces his troubles back to a social media post he made seven years ago about Canadian comedian Norm Macdonald.

In September 2018, he wrote on Twitter, now X: “Hot take: I’ve never found Norm Macdonald funny and was pretty sure all my comedy friends who did were either nuts or screwing with me."

After that, he says, he experienced years of online harassment, which is described in detail in an article in the Independent(external link). That harassment, he says, eventually escalated into swatting.

"Our stalkers had specifically told us that they were going to begin swatting us…. We spoke to a dispatcher. We spoke with a desk sergeant. And both of them said there's nothing we can do," he said.

"Two weeks later, here I am, you know, on my front porch in the middle of the night, exposed to all my neighbours with shotguns and pistols and AR-15s pointed at my head."

Image | vlcsnap-2026-10-05-17h12m56s495