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Punked? Ashton Kutcher's Home May Be Latest Site of 'swatting' Prank
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Authorities are investigating a possible home invasion robbery at the residence of actor Ashton Kutcher. But the whole thing might not be legit.Police received a call of "shots fired" and a suspected robbery; according to a live news broadcast on KCAL-9, the caller was situated inside the home, hiding in a closet.
TMZ reports the caller was a female who had locked herself in a bathroom, and that she said "several Russian men with weapons were in the house, robbing it."
In response, the LAPD sent out choppers and cops on land. Ultimately, three suspects were detained, according to City News Service.
However, TMZ suggests this could all be a prank. The gossip site says their law enforcement sources told them those detained "may be workers on the property so the whole thing could be a misunderstanding." Further complicating matters: The female 911 caller has not been located.
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This kind of prank is known as "swatting," in which the perpetrator aims to get law enforcement out--especially the SWAT team--in response to an alleged serious crime. In August, Miley Cyrus was the subject of a "swatting" prank, in which a caller claimed the singer/actress had been kidnapped from her Studio City home.
UPDATED: Yup, it looks like this is another case of "swatting," law enforcement sources tell TMZ. The three men at Kutcher's home who were briefly detained were workers, and they're not considered suspects. But authorities do believe that whoever made the phony call was scoping out the property beforehand, and knew the workers were home.
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