Swatting: Who's been targeted?

On feb. 22, 2013, police responded to a 911 call reporting that several men with assault weapons were in the actor's home and that someone had been shot. When the officers arrived, they saw that nothing was wrong and were unable to determine if anyone was home. The LAPD are in pursuit of the person responsible for the call. Los Angeles police were dispatched to Paris Hilton's home on March 23, 2013 after a call came in claiming there was an intruder in the house. When police arrived on the scene, no one was home. A full police SWAt team, complete with helicopters, was dispatched to Daddy's home on April 3, 2013 following a call claiming shots were fired inside the home. It turns out it was yet another case of celebrity swatting. Sean Combs speaks onstage during a press conference hosted by Sean Combs and Mark Wahlberg to announce their newest venture, Water Brand AQUAhydrate on February 27, 2013 in West Hollywood, California. View the list »
LAPD were sent to Rihanna's home on April 4 after a call came in claiming armed men were inside her home and shots were fired.This latest round of celebrity swatting is being credited to the group who also leaked the financial information of over a dozen stars online. Rihanna attends as the Rihanna for River Island collection is launched at the Oxford Street River Island store on March 4, 2013 in London, England. 

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The list: Celebrity "swatting" targets

If you’ve tuned into the media in the last few months, you’ve probably heard someone mention “swatting”. They are not talking about killing insects or a form of corporal punishment, but rather, the latest trend in celebrity drama.

“Swatting” occurs when a caller notifies the police of an alleged dangerous crime in effect at someone’s home. Authorities respond to the call armed with heavy artillery and often the SWAT team is among the group of first responders, hence the name “swatting”. The trend started amongst the gaming community about a decade ago but has escalated to include celebrities. When the target of these pranks is famous or extremely wealthy, the police response is even greater.

Making intentional false calls to 911 is a misdemeanor in the state of California. If convicted, pranksters could serve up to a year in jail.

While no one has been injured in the recent influx of these shenanigans, the calls are far from harmless as they waste valuable resources. According to police, the cost of a recent “swatting” attack on Ashton Kutcher cost the city approximately $10,000.

A boy under the age of 13, was arrested in connection with a hoax on both Ashton Kutcher and Justin Bieber in mid December. This, however, has not thwarted the growing trend as singer Chris Brown has recently been victimized on Jan 22, 2013.

Check out our list of celebrity “swatting” victims and learn the details.

View the list
  • LAPD were sent to Rihanna's home on April 4 after a call came in claiming armed men were inside her home and shots were fired.This latest round of celebrity swatting is being credited to the group who also leaked the financial information of over a dozen stars online. Rihanna attends as the Rihanna for River Island collection is launched at the Oxford Street River Island store on March 4, 2013 in London, England. 
  • A full police SWAt team, complete with helicopters, was dispatched to Daddy's home on April 3, 2013 following a call claiming shots were fired inside the home. It turns out it was yet another case of celebrity swatting. Sean Combs speaks onstage during a press conference hosted by Sean Combs and Mark Wahlberg to announce their newest venture, Water Brand AQUAhydrate on February 27, 2013 in West Hollywood, California. 
  • Los Angeles police were dispatched to Paris Hilton's home on March 23, 2013 after a call came in claiming there was an intruder in the house. When police arrived on the scene, no one was home. 
  • On feb. 22, 2013, police responded to a 911 call reporting that several men with assault weapons were in the actor's home and that someone had been shot. When the officers arrived, they saw that nothing was wrong and were unable to determine if anyone was home. The LAPD are in pursuit of the person responsible for the call. 
  • On Jan 22, 2013, Police arrived at the home of Chris Brown in response to a phone call claiming that a domestic violence incident had occurred. The caller told police he was not sure if someone had been shot.When police arrived Brown was not home, instead the police were greeted by members of his staff.  Brown's parents arrived soon after to search the place, police said. 
  • Charlie Sheen was the first known victim of ‘swatting’. On March 10, 2011 police responded to an anonymous call that Charlie Sheen had threatened to self harm and had guns in his possession. At least five police cars came to Sheen's house and a helicopter was seen flying overhead. The actor was found safe at home and very cooperative with the police. The police established that there was not a threat and left shortly thereafter.  Once they left, Sheen reportedly Tweeted  "#fastball; the LAPD were AWESOME. Absolute pros! they can protect and serve this Warlock anytime!!!"
  •  More than a dozen officers and firefighters reported to the home of Miley Cyrus on Aug. 12, 2012 in response to a call about an armed kidnapper. The caller claimed that someone had already been shot in her California home, but when police arrived, they found that no one was home. 
  •  On Oct. 10, 2012, heavily armed officers arrived at Justin Bieber's home. They were responding to a call received via a TTY device, which is typically used by the hearing impaired to translate text into phone calls. That caller claimed that there was a person waving a gun outside of the singer’s home. Bieber’s security team welcomed in the police and allowed them to search the premises until it was established that the phone call was a hoax. An arrest was made in connection to the pranks on both Justin Bieber and Ashton Kutcher. 
  •  Tom Cruise was the target of a ‘swatting’ prank when a gaggle of police arrived at his Beverly Hills home on Jan. 17, 2013. They responded to a call claiming that a robbery was in effect. When they arrived on the scene, police cooperated with Cruise’s security team to discover that the claims were false.The actor and his family were not home when this occurred. 
  •  On Oct. 3, 2012, police received a phone call from a panicked woman claiming that there was a gunman in Ashton Kutcher’s home and that she was hiding in the closet.Armed police, including a helicopter, arrived at his LA mansion, to find that neither Kutcher nor the frightened woman were anywhere to be found.In response, Kutcher Tweeted:  “Safe an sound at two and a half men. Don't miss tomorrow night 8:30.” An arrest was made in connection to the pranks on both Justin Bieber and Ashton Kutcher. 
  • On Nov 25, 2012, a caller contacted 911 claiming that someone was tied up inside Simon Cowell’s home in Beverly Hills. The ‘X-Factor’ judge was home when police arrived, and officers found no sign of trouble.
  •  Heavily armed police arrived at the house of Bruce and Kris Jenner on Jan 18, 2013, responding to reports of gunshots at their family mansion. To which daughter, Kim Kardashian responded with a Tweet saying: “Just got a call from my mom telling me about this prank call that someone was shot in their home & 15 swat team & 3 helicopters showed up!”She later Tweeted: “These prank calls are NOT funny! People can get arrested for this! I hope they find out who is behind this. It is dangerous & not a joke!” 
View the list

, Pop Culture Examiner

Nadia Kouri is a member of Examiner.com's editorial team. As media junky and social media enthusiast, she's always abreast of the latest trends.

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