On Thursday, Tom Cruise became the latest celebrity victim of "swatting" after his Beverly Hills home was raided by police and a SWAT team. Police responded to a 911 call made by a prankster who reported that a false armed robbery was taking place at his mansion. That resulted in police and a SWAT team raiding his home, which explains why why this prank is known as "swatting."
The Mission: Impossible movie star wasn't home when the "swatting" took place.
Sgt. Renato Moreno reported that the call was made sometime around noon. Nothing was found at his home and no arrests have been made. However, Moreno noted that such calls keep the Beverly Hills Police Department preoccupied with nonsense. "It certainly is something that ties us up," he said.
A number of celebs including Charlie Sheen, Miley Cyrus and Simon Cowell have also fallen victim to this prank, which results in SWAT team members raiding their homes.
In December, a 12-year-old boy was taken into custody for allegedly reporting violent crimes at the homes of Justin Bieber and Ashton Kutcher. Lt. Marc Reina said the boy used a computer program to make TTY calls to the LAPD, a service usually used by people who are hearing-impaired. He has not been charged with a crime as prosecutors are reviewing the case.
This isn't the first time that the police were sent to investigate the Academy Award-winning actor's home. Last fall a trespasser, who turned out to be a guest staying with Cruise's neighbor, was found on his property, but Cruise did not press charges.