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The Game May Not Be Having Fun: Rapper's Tweet Jams Sheriff Station Lines Causing Emergency Response Delays
Claiming a music internship opportunity, Charles Louboutin, The Game, tweeted the public help line number for the Compton Sheriff's Station of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department to his 580,000+ followers at 5:23 p.m. on Friday night prompting hours of calls and delaying emergency response service for incidents including "a missing person, a spousal assault, two robberies and a stolen car," according to a LASD statement.
"These needless phone calls interfered with the ability of sheriff's desk personnel to answer the business line phones and 9-1-1 calls, and for dispatchers to send help to people who really needed it, said Captain Mike Parker, Sheriff's Headquarters Bureau. "We don't know how many people needed help but couldn't get through the overwhelmed phone lines."
The resulting "telephone flashmob" or "flashcalls," prompted Captain Parker to tweet the rapper twice from his @mpLASD account asking him to remove the message as it was "compromising public safety."
The Game followed up sometime later with a tweet to the Times saying "@latimes it wasn't me (shaggy voice)" suggesting his account has been hacked. In another tweet he had a different story posting "Yall can track a tweet down but cant solve murders ! Dat was an accident but maybe now yall can actually do yall job !!!! #iSpeak4ThePeople"
The facts of this case will be documented in a criminal complaint for presentation to the district attorney's office in consideration of a criminal filing of: Annoying or harassing phone calls via electronic device or the internet whether or not conversation ensues, 653m(b), California State Penal Code... Delaying or obstructing peace officers in the performance of their duties, 148(a)(1) California State Penal Code... Person who knowingly and maliciously disrupts or impedes communications over a public safety radio frequency 148(a)(2), California State Penal Code
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