Police responded to a possible shooting at a Toluca Lake home owned by rapper and entertainer Sean "Diddy" Combs on Wednesday, only to learn that the report was a hoax.
A woman who did not want to talk on camera told media that everyone inside was safe before retreating back into the home.
It was the latest in a series of so-called "swattings," in which emergency calls are made reporting bogus crimes. The calls often draw a massive response from law enforcement, including SWAT teams.
No SWAT teams were called to Combs' home Wednesday but a throng of law enforcement agents did respond, authorities said.
Last summer, SWAT teams descended on Miley Cyrus’ home, responding to what they later determined was a prank. The homes of Ashton Kutcher and Justin Beiber were also “swatted” in October 2012, about a week apart.
In the Kutcher case, the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office said a 12-year-old boy admitted to making a false bomb threat. He is being sentenced at a later date for the crime.
The Los Angeles Police Department is now asking the city attorney to pursue felony charges on these types of crimes.
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After bogus emergency calls drew crews to the homes of Chris Brown and Kim Kardashian’s mother earlier this year, authorities said these hoaxes tie up vital resources, could potentially injure passersby and are costly to taxpayers.
"Depending on how long that incident continues, you could be into the hundreds of thousands of dollars," LAPD Lt. Andy Neiman said at the time.
