Crime & Safety
Selena Gomez Victim of Police Hoax Call in Tarzana
Police were called to the actress and singer's Tarzana home Friday afternoon after receiving a false report by phone.
Singer and actress Selena Gomez's Tarzana home was swatted Friday afternoon less than two hours after Justin Timberlake's Hollywood Hills home was the target of a police hoax call.
The phony “shots fired” call at Gomez's home on the 19000 block of Wells Drive came in about 5 p.m., Los Angeles Police Department Media Relations Officer Norma Eisenman said.
“Officers responded to the scene but found nothing at the location,” Eisenman said. “We cleared the location about 6:15 p.m.
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Detectives were investigating the source of these phony police “swatting” calls at celebrity homes, said Eisenman, who did not have details on their progress in finding the caller or callers.
The Gomez call was the fourth phony swatting call this week. The Pacific Palisades home of singer Rihanna was targeted Thursday, a day after a similar hoax call concerning a residence owned by rapper Sean Combs.
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Making a hoax call to police is a misdemeanor that can earn an offender up to a year behind bars, LAPD Officer Bruce Borihanh said. If anyone is injured as a result of a hoax call, it can become a felony offense carrying harsher penalties, Borihanh said.
