Local

Orange Co. neighborhood under lockdown for hours because of prank call

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Deputies said an Orange County woman’s fake 911 call forced an entire neighborhood into lockdown on Thursday.

For nearly two hours, the Normandy Shores subdivision, on Silver Star Road, appeared to be under siege.

The fuss broke out after a woman called 911 and claimed she was being raped.

A resident, who did not want to be identified, said deputies thought he was the rapist.

“They drew the guns and told me to get down,” he said. “Put the handcuffs on me real tight. I fit the description because I has in a white tank top and I (am) black with dreads.”

Turns out the man wasn’t the suspect, because the whole rape claim was a hoax.

“It’s ridiculous,” said resident Eric Winspare.

Dozens of residents were stuck outside in 97-degree heat and school buses packed with children weren’t allowed in the neighborhood.

When the crime tape went down, the woman who called in the hoax was taken under the Baker Act, which allows for a person to be held for a mental health evaluation if there appears to be a danger.

Deputies have not released the woman’s name.

The man who claimed deputies wrongly held him at gunpoint said he plans to file a complaint with internal affairs.