On Monday January 21st, LAPD officers raided the Hollywood home of singer Chris Brown. The LAPD received a report from a 911 call indicating that there was a domestic dispute at the residence involving a gun. The LAPD arrived on the scene and, after raiding the home, discovered that there was no domestic disturbance. It was not released whether or not Chris Brown was even at his home at the time of the raid.
The Friday after that, another “swatting” incident involving Kris Jenner, the mother of Kim Kardashian. Police received a report about a possible shooting at the residence and responded with a SWAT Team 3 helicopters only to find out shortly after arrival that the report was fake.
These are just the most recent in a disturbing new trend in prank calls known as “swatting.” This is the practice in which a prankster will make a call to 911 reporting a violent crime at the home of a celebrity in order to elicit a strong response by the police department, often involving SWAT Teams.
When prank calls like this are responded to, it pulls police away from being able to respond to calls and reports where they are actually needed. As a result the LAPD is going to be dealing with these instances a little bit differently, and pushing for harsher penalties. They’re asking the district attorney to press felony charges on anyone arrested on suspicion of “swatting,” as well as seek financial restitution from “swatters.”
Even though the police department is going to be treating the calls with a little more finesse, they insist that all calls will still receive the same urgency and the LAPD will always be there when they’re needed.
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