Kick streamer Nick White was live in a driverless Waymo in Austin on October 5 when police pulled the robotaxi over on a possible swatting call, according to Dexerto. Officers had to ask Waymo to remotely unlock the car before searching a suitcase White says held more than $200,000 in Pokémon cards. Swatting just met the robotaxi, and every IRL creator should be paying attention.
⚡ Key Takeaways
- Austin police pulled over a driverless Waymo carrying Kick streamer Nick White mid-stream on a "possible swatting call" on October 5.
- Officers had to call Waymo's rider support to remotely unlock the car before inspecting his suitcase.
- White says the suitcase held more than $200K in Pokémon cards from a convention he had just left.
- He's at least the fourth Kick-linked streamer swatted on or around a stream in 2026, after N3on, Blueface and Tazo.
- Same week, Toronto police told swatting victim Tiagz he could be billed $500 per fire truck, $4,000 for an eight-truck response.
What actually happened?
On stream, White sat in the passenger seat as sirens rose behind him and the Waymo announced it was "looking for a good spot to pull over," per Dexerto. "Police are pulling me over," he told viewers. Officers ordered him out with his hands up, walking backwards toward them and out of the camera's frame.
The stream kept rolling inside the empty car. Then an officer leaned through the open window and started talking to the car itself.
"Hey Mr. Waymo, are you monitoring? We had a possible swatting call for somebody in your car, but we're squaring the whole thing away."
Austin Police Department officer, on Nick White's livestream, via Dexerto
Police then asked Waymo's rider support to remotely unlock the vehicle so they could inspect a suitcase White had left on the back seat. He had just come from a convention, and he says the bag held more than $200K in Pokémon cards. Waymo unlocked the door, and officers confirmed the bag had been inspected.
Why does this matter for creators?
Swatting is not new to streaming. According to CNBC, the FBI's national swatting database logged 129 incidents in roughly its first month after launching in May 2023. What's new is the setting.
In a normal swatting, police roll up on a house. Here, armed officers stopped a moving car with nobody at the wheel, and a tech company's support desk decided when they could reach the person inside. Austin police were already uneasy about how these cars read officers, with Lt. William White telling NBC DFW, "What they seem to lack is social awareness."
IRL streaming runs on being reachable. Your location is live, your audience is live, and if you're hauling a suitcase of cards, signed gear or merch, your inventory is live too. That's a real-time broadcast of where you are and what you're holding, which is exactly what a swatter wants.
And Kick is the epicenter. Dexerto has tracked a run of on-stream swattings this year: N3on ordered to his knees in Los Angeles in March, Blueface detained at home in July (per The Express Tribune), and Tazo swatted at dinner in Austin in September. White makes it at least four Kick-linked streamers in 2026.
"There is a bill for $500 for each truck that responds."
Toronto police officer, speaking to streamer Tiagz, via Dexerto
Where does this go from here?
The scarier trend is who pays. The same week as White's stop, Toronto police told swatted streamer Tiagz that the fire department would bill $500 for every truck that answered another hoax at his Airbnb, per Dexerto. Eight trucks showed up to one false fire report, so the next one could cost him $4,000. In September, officers had already threatened to arrest him over the repeated calls.
Read that again: the victim gets the invoice. The officer acknowledged police had no reason to believe anyone at the property made the calls, and the bill was still on the table. That's backwards, and it hands swatters a new weapon, because a hoax now costs the target money even when nobody gets hurt.
Watch the middlemen, too. An Airbnb host controls the door, a robotaxi company controls the locks, and both now sit between a creator and the officers answering a fake call. Expect more IRL creators to rethink what they flash on camera, especially when it's worth six figures.
Departments that bill victims and tech companies that hold the keys are reacting to swatting after the fact. Nobody in this chain is stopping the call before it lands.
Nick White's stop ended with officers "squaring the whole thing away." The next creator on the next stream might not get that ending, and right now the only thing standing between them and a gun drawn on camera is a stranger's phone call.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened to Nick White in the Waymo?
While livestreaming a ride through Austin on October 5, 2026, Nick White's driverless Waymo was pulled over by police responding to what an officer called a "possible swatting call," per Dexerto. He was ordered out of the car, and officers asked Waymo support to remotely unlock it so they could inspect a suitcase he says held more than
How did police get into a driverless car?
With no driver to talk to, an Austin officer addressed Waymo's rider support through the open window, then asked the company to remotely unlock the vehicle. Waymo support unlocked the door and officers inspected the bag on the back seat, according to Dexerto.
Why are so many Kick streamers getting swatted?
IRL streaming broadcasts a creator's location in real time, which gives hoax callers everything they need. Dexerto has covered N3on (March), Blueface (July), Tazo (September) and now Nick White (October), all swatted on or around a stream in 2026.
Can swatting victims be billed for the emergency response?
In Toronto, apparently yes. Police told streamer Tiagz the fire department would bill