This story is free to read because readers choose to support LAist. If you find value in independent local reporting, make a donation to power our newsroom today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
LAPD Fears Someone Will Die If Celeb 'Swatting' Pranks Continue
Photo: stevelyon/Flickr
Who will be the next L.A.-dwelling celeb to be the target of a "swatting" prank? While you may have your theories, the Los Angeles Police Department are less concerned with where it will happen and more focused on what they see as the likelihood the pranks could turn fatal.According to a law enforcement source who is spilling to TMZ, the LAPD believes "it's only a matter of time before an innocent person is mistaken for a phantom shooter and gets shot to death," if these pranks keep up.
Another scenario police fear is that other Angelenos in need of emergency aid will be left waiting--perhaps to die--while cops and other first responders are at the scene of a "swatting."
The FBI came up with the term "swatting" a few years ago to describe a deliberate phony distress call that results in the police sending out the SWAT team. In L.A. it has been done recently to Miley Cyrus and Ashton Kutcher at their homes, and, in the jurisdiction of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, at Justin Bieber's Calabasas pad.
The LAPD say they are continuing to investigate the Cyrus and Kutcher incidents, and are using "electronic footprints left by the people making the prank calls" as well as information provided by neighbors who may have seen the pranksters scoping things out in order to catch the perps behind these crimes.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead. Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive from readers like you will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive from readers like you will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
