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Tag: swatting

  • Anderson Cooper “Swatted”, No Suspects In Custody

    Anderson Cooper has been the latest victim of “swatting”–an illegal prank in which someone makes a false 911 call and sends police to a random home–and investigators don’t have any leads.

    The incident happened last month at Cooper’s Hamptons home, making it the first time the prank has been pulled outside of L.A. Last year, several celebrities were targeted, including the Kardashians, Chris Brown, and Ryan Seacrest. Luckily, the victims are rarely home when cops descend upon their property, but many agree that it’s just not funny anymore (if it ever was).

    Because of the serious nature of the 911 calls, police are forced to use precious resources to respond, which means those officers are off the streets for nothing.

    “When we do get these calls, we always take them very seriously,” Sergeant Moreno of the Beverly Hills police said. “We never assume that it’s another one of these swatting calls. We respond with every available resource that we have, including the fire department and paramedics on standby.”

    Earlier this year, a 12-year old boy admitted to swatting Ashton Kutcher’s house; he’s now awaiting sentencing. Police say they don’t have a suspect in this case yet, however.

  • Boy Admits Kutcher Prank, May be Connected to Others

    Back in December 2012, Los Angeles police arrested an unnamed juvenile in connection with prank 911 calls that sent police to the homes of Ashton Kutcher and Justin Bieber. That person was later released by police, who continued to investigate the incidents.

    Today, CBS News is reporting that a 12-year-old boy has admitted to sending police to the home of Ashton Kutcher. Though the boy’s name has not been released, he is now scheduled to be sentenced for his crime.

    The practice of making false 911 calls of bombs or shootings to bring police to celebrity houses has been dubbed “swatting,” since S.W.A.T. teams are sometimes dispatched to the scene. In addition to Kutcher and Bieber, celebrities including Simon Cowell, Miley Cyrus, Tom Cruise, Chris Brown, and the Kardashians have been recent victims of swatting.

    The CBS report states that the same 12-year-old has also been accused of sending police to Justin Bieber’s house and a bank.

  • Miley Cyrus Home Descended Upon By L.A. Police

    Miley Cyrus hasn’t really left the headlines in the past year or two; between her many tattoos, her love life (engaged to “Hunger Games” star Liam Hemsworth), and her racy red-carpet outfits, the media can’t get enough of her. And it would seem that someone wants to keep it that way.

    Cyrus was recently the victim of a “swatting“, which is police-speak for a prank call which sends cops swarming into someone’s house on suspicion of a kidnapping, murder, or other heinous crime. This particular call claimed someone at Cyrus’ address had been shot and kidnapped, and police descended on her L.A. home in droves, including some in helicopters. As it turns out, no one was even home.

    “We responded to a call of a kidnapping in progress, one person shot, at an address on Amanda Drive,” a Hollywood Police Department rep said. “It’s not just bad, it is a crime. And if we find out who it is, we will arrest them and prosecute them.”

    So far, Cyrus hasn’t commented on the incident, but has tweeted some random stuff about making beats and not sleeping. Seems like she’s not too concerned about her prank caller, but the L.A. Police Department is. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact them.