Chris Brown is the latest target of the “swatting” prank. According toTVguide.com, Chris Brown is just one in a line-up of celebrities who have been the mark of “swatting.” Other celebrities targeted in the swatting prank have included Tom Cruise, Justin Bieber, Ashton Kutcher and Kim Kardashian.
What is the “swatting” prank? The “swatting” prank is a popular prank involving anonymous callers reporting a fictional crime to the police. These reports sometimes result in SWAT officers being deployed on the scene.
In fact, Los Angeles Times reported that police received a call before 5 p.m. Monday January 21, 2013 alerting them to an alleged domestic-violence incident at the Chris Brown’s Los Angeles home. The anonymous caller claimed the caller’s mom may have also been shot. However, when police arrived on the premises of Brown’s home no such disturbances were found. Police only saw members of Chris Brown’s staff. Although Chris Brown himself reportedly wasn’t home, his parents arrived shortly afterward as police investigated the property.
In the case of the Tom Cruise swatting, Eonline reported The actor’s Beverly Hills home was swarmed by police after they received an anonymous call stating an armed robbery in progress at his home. After discovering it was a prank, Beverly Hills Police Department issued a statement declaring “we will be investigating the incident as a crime due to the false report.
What pranksters of this nature don’t seem to understand is such immature stunts can result in the loss of life. Perhaps the ignorant person or persons behind the “swatting” stunts think they are in an episode of Punk’d, but these actions are deemed criminal. Should police apprehend the culprits, one can almost guarantee it won’t be a joking matter.
