Ashton Kutcher, Justin Bieber ;12-Year-Old Arrested For 'Swatting' Celebrities
Los Angeles police arrested a 12-year-old boy Monday for calling police to the homes of celebrities in a prank called "swatting."
The boy was taken into custody for calling in domestic disturbances to the homes of celebrities including Ashton Kutcher and Justin Bieber. The Los Angeles Times reported that the boy, whose identity has not been released, is potentially responsible for a host of other calls as well.
The pre-teen allegedly resides with his mother in Southern California in an unstable home. Police are currently trying to remove the boy from his mother's care, according to TMZ.
So far the boy has yet to be charged with any criminal offenses. Authorities are inclined to require the boy to seek counseling rather than allocate a punishment, the gossip website noted.
"It's currently still under investigation; our detectives are in contact with the LAPD detectives in regard to their arrest," Beverly Hills Police Lieutenant Lincoln Hoshino said,
Kutcher was one of the latest celebrity victims of the prank, which started with a fake emergency call resulting in police showing up at his residence. Police were called to Kutcher's Hollywood Hills home on Oct. 3 for what was believed to be a serious threat.
"It looks like they called the police, told them there was a shooting inside, somebody was down," said Ed Vallejo, a neighbor who was at the scene, according to CBS News.
Police also responded to a fake distress call on Oct. 10 that led authorities to Bieber's home. Other celebrities that have been targeted by the "swatting" prank include Miley Cyrus and Simon Cowell, but it is unknown at this time if the young boy currently in police custody was responsible for those incidents.
The prank term "swatting" refers to SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) team's that are called in for serious cases requiring greater tactical care to resolve.
