Tom Cruise 'Swatted;' Prank 911 Call on Latest Celebrity Victim
Tom Cruise is the latest victim of a prank known as "swatting" after police responded to a fake distress call at his residence.
The Beverly Hills police released a statement on Thursday that said cops were called to the actor's house after someone called 911 with the claim there was an "armed robbery in progress." However, when the officers arrived and searched the premises, they stated there was "no emergency was discovered."
Cruise and his family were not at the home when the incident occurred but his security officers were. The police said the crime is taken very seriously and an investigation has begun to find the person responsible.
The prank term "swatting" refers to SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) teams that are called in for serious cases requiring greater tactical care to resolve. Cruise's incident is the latest in a string of "swatting" pranks done on various celebrities, such as Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus and Simon Cowell.
In December, the Los Angeles Police Department arrested a 12-year-old boy in relation to similar pranks. Lt. Marc Reina talked about the process the boy used to make the calls by first establishing fake accounts and using a special computer program.
"He is very clever with computers and could be applying this in a positive way," Reina said, as reported by The Los Angeles Times.
The boy was taken into custody for calling in domestic disturbances to the homes of celebrities including Ashton Kutcher. A fake emergency call led police to Kutcher's Hollywood Hills home on Oct. 3 after shooting was supposedly heard from within the residence, according to CBS News. Police also responded to a fake distress call on Oct. 10 that led authorities to Bieber's home.
It is unknown how many celebrities the young boy was responsible for "swatting" before he was caught.
