Story highlights
The suspect is a Southern California juvenile who was not identified
The hoax call said people with guns and explosives had invaded Kutcher's home
Kutcher's home was "swatted" October 3, Bieber's a week later
"Swatting" is when hackers place fake emergency calls, police said
Los Angeles police believe they’ve caught the person who made a fake emergency call claiming that several people had been shot at Ashton Kutcher’s Hollywood home.
A Southern California juvenile, who was not identified, is suspected of being behind the October 3 “swatting” incident at Kutcher’s home and targeting Justin Bieber’s Calabasas, Caifornia, home a week later, according to a police statement.
“The comments of the call advised that there were individuals inside the location with guns and explosives, and that several people had been shot,” the police said.
Dozens of emergency personnel rushed to Kutcher’s residence only to find workers inside and no emergency, police said. Kutcher, who was on the set of his TV sitcom “Two and a Half Men,” also rushed to his home.
“Swatting” is when “computer hackers utilize their skills to place false emergency calls of serious crimes in progress to law enforcement and fire dispatch centers, thus causing a large number of first responders” to arrive, police said. “The swatting practice is extremely dangerous and places first responders and citizens in harm’s way.”
Hollywood division detectives worked with the FBI and police in Long Beach, California, to find the suspect, who was arrested on December 10, police said.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office is reviewing the case to decide how to prosecute the youth, police said.
Other incidents that may be linked to the suspect have also been identified, police said.