‘Swatting’ call to Clint Eastwood home doesn’t make LAPD’s day

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It didn’t make the LAPD’s day when officers dispatched to a home owned by Clint Eastwood in Bel-Air quickly found out the legendary actor was apparently the latest victim of a ‘swatting’ incident.

Police had been told there were men with assault weapons at the residence.

But officers quickly determined no one was in danger at the home, avoiding the full-scale tactical response that has arrived at ‘swatting’ incidents at the home of other celebrities, Lt. Andrew Neiman said.

Officers said that, as in earlier cases, the 911 call was likely the work of pranksters seeking to unleash a large police presence at the home of a celebrity.

The call to Eastwood’s residence occurred Tuesday; it was unclear if anyone was actually staying there at the time.

On Thursday, a ‘swatting’ call was made in an effort to bring a large police response to the Playboy mansion. Again, police were quickly able to confirm nothing dangerous was occurring at the Holmby Hills mansion. This week’s incidents are the latest in a recent rash of hoax 911 calls reporting fake crimes at celebrities’ homes. What began as a prank among party-line callers and gamers in recent months has spread to target celebrities, authorities say.

Victims in recent months include Ashton Kutcher, Justin Bieber, Tom Cruise and Simon Cowell. Earlier this month, a 12-year-old was charged with making 911 calls and reporting fake crimes to police, sending them to Kutcher’s home and a Wells Fargo Bank branch.

Law enforcement officials have said that swatting is a problem because it diverts resources from real emergencies.

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-- Richard Winton