It’s the latest prank to hit the rich and famous and it’s called swatting.
Authorities in Los Angeles are dealing with persons unknown who are pulling this updated version of sending a pizza to the home of an unsuspecting friend only it’s much more dangerous. They call 911 and claim someone is breaking into the home of a mega-celebrity like Justin Bieber or Ashton Kutcher. Or they say someone was seen outside a celebrity’s home with a gun. It’s easy to find the address because everyone and his uncle sells maps to the homes of the stars, including the actual addresses. The cavalry are rounded up and police, fire, emergency response, canine units and in Tuesday’s case, a helicopter was dispatched to Justin Bieber’s home but nothing was found. It’s a huge waste of resources that might be needed for an actual emergency. So far no one has been caught swatting because police suspect the caller is using an app and can’t be traced. Yet.
This is far more serious than pranking you or me because of the fame of the people involved. Los Angeles police are always being notified of nutbars who want to harm celebrities so they take such calls very seriously. The LA Police chief says responding to a call last week about a home invasion at Kutcher’s house that turned out to be false, cost $10,000. It’s just another reason to be grateful that you’re not famous. Or at least, not famous enough for this.
Those doing the swatting need a good one. And not the police kind.