7:33 pm - 11/28/2012
LAPD investigates outside actor Ashton Kutcher’s Lake Hollywood residence in October after a text to 911 reported a home invasion robbery. It was a hoax.
Celebrities are no strangers to invasions of privacy, with paparazzi snapping endless photos and websites publishing detailed information about stars' homes, including their street addresses.
But there's a new prank in Hollywood, one that is causing major concerns for stars and law enforcement alike.
"Swatting is a very real problem for those in the public eye," said Blair Berk, a criminal lawyer who has represented stars, including Mel Gibson, Kanye West and Lindsay Lohan. "It is only a matter of time before someone dies because of this stupidity."
Justin Bieber and Simon Cowell are two of the latest high-profile victims of "swatting," a fast-growing phenomenon masterminded by anonymous mischief-makers who alert police to a bogus crime situation, prompting a tactical response — sometimes by SWAT officers — that involves a high-risk search for phantom assailants.
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Celebrity 'swatting' hoaxes cause concern for law enforcement
LAPD investigates outside actor Ashton Kutcher’s Lake Hollywood residence in October after a text to 911 reported a home invasion robbery. It was a hoax.
Celebrities are no strangers to invasions of privacy, with paparazzi snapping endless photos and websites publishing detailed information about stars' homes, including their street addresses.
But there's a new prank in Hollywood, one that is causing major concerns for stars and law enforcement alike.
"Swatting is a very real problem for those in the public eye," said Blair Berk, a criminal lawyer who has represented stars, including Mel Gibson, Kanye West and Lindsay Lohan. "It is only a matter of time before someone dies because of this stupidity."
Justin Bieber and Simon Cowell are two of the latest high-profile victims of "swatting," a fast-growing phenomenon masterminded by anonymous mischief-makers who alert police to a bogus crime situation, prompting a tactical response — sometimes by SWAT officers — that involves a high-risk search for phantom assailants.
( Read more...Collapse )
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I was coming home from work at around 11pm when I noticed a police barricade leading into my neighborhood. I live in a row of town homes. So I parked in the street and proceeded to be like FUCK DA POLICE and I walked past the barricade, down an ajoining parking lot, towards my house.
I'm almost to my house when I hear seven very LOUD shots, and leading up to the shots it was super super silent. I wasn't sure what to do so I kinda crushed my neighbor's flowers as I pressed myself against the wall of their house (sry neighbor). Then four police in riot gear came creeping towards me but they wouldn't say anything, they just kept motioning me BACKWARDS. At that point I started to whine that I was SO CLOSE to my house and plzplz let me past. One of the cops relented and escorted me to my front door but not before they lectured me about being outside.
I still dunno what happened :o But all the windows to a neighbor's house has been busted out ever since the SWAT team was here.
tl;dr
I ignored a police barricade. Shots were fired while I was outside. Officers were being all stealthy and moody. I whined and they took me home.
what a drain on already-stretched resources, fuck
My mom is a 911 dispatcher and the amount of ridiculous calls they get is astounding. Like ppl calling to ask for directions or the time, WTFFF