What started like a regular livestream on Thanksgiving Day by GTA 5 actor Ned Luke (who played the role of Michael De Santa) ended abruptly after he was swatted. Sirens were heard in the background before he received a call.
“Oh nice, nice,” he said. “Alright I will be out there. Alright I’ve gotta go, now these a**holes have swatted my house, so I’ve gotta go. Have a good one.”
Swatting is an “expensive” prank where the prankster files a false report that prompts an armed response from the cops (often involving the Swat team) at the specified address. The GTA 5 actor is not the first streamer that has been swatted. Several streamers also face a similar challenge.
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There was an insinuation from Istura (@IIstura) on X that the problem was from Rockstar failing to hide the IP address of players from Modders. Istura further stressed how the situation could have ended with the fatal shooting of the GTA 5 actor and called out Rockstar for not doing anything about it.
However, Luke, having resolved the issue, responded to that tweet and said the problem was not with Rockstar but with “sick” individuals who want to continue being mischievous.
“Y’all jumping to some large a** conclusion,” the GTA 5 actor wrote. “This had nothing to do with Rockstar. These a**holes leaked my private info years ago and have been doing this shit since. Anyone’s info is available online if you are sick enuff to really wanna find it.”
However, not everyone agreed with the GTA 5 actor’s defense of Rockstar. Robbin Rams (@RobbinRams) shared a screenshot of a mod menu and highlighted that it shows the player’s full personal info.
“Please don’t defend Rockstar Games on this Ned because this is a real serious issue and you’ve seen this first hand.,” Robbin Rams wrote. “There are mod menus out there which show your full personal info.”
This is not the first time that the GTA 5 actor has been swatted
A pizza delivery worker through a thread narrated how he experienced firsthand the swatting of the GTA 5 actor in the past. The pizza delivery guy mentioned that he got a delivery but was surprised by the amount of cop cars and cops hiding behind trees when he arrived at the neighborhood.
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“I park on the street, walk up to the door and his wife answered, and she said she didn’t order any pizza, but then she got Ned to make sure, and what ended up happening was we were talking about 3 minutes because I love GTA and I see the cops walking down the street,” the pizza delivery worker narrated.
When the pizza delivery worker explained the situation, Ned was furious and waved over to the cops and explained the situation. Well, the pizza guy never got paid for the delivery but he said he didn’t mind.
Other celebrities that have been swatted
Exactly a decade ago, swatting was a popular prank, and several celebrities were hit. The reason for swatting is currently unknown. However, the police believe in some cases it is just about the pranksters trying to catch fun while in other cases it may be for revenge or something worse.
The FBI has been cracking down on swatting, saying it leads to a waste of resources and puts the lives of people in danger. However, in most cases, the pranksters are never caught. Here is a list of celebrities that were swatted a decade ago.
Tom Cruise
In January 2013, a prankster called the Beverly Hills police to report an armed robbery in progress at the home of Tom Cruise. Responders showed up but found no threat. The Beverly Hills police department claimed the prank drained half of its emergency resources. Nobody was arrested or charged.
Chris Brown
In the same month, someone reported domestic violence saying a husband was threatening his wife with a gun at Chris Brown’s home. The police showed up in response to the call and only found the musician’s staff members. Perhaps it was easy to fool the cops considering the singer’s 2009 assault on Rihanna.
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Clint Eastwood
A month later, it was the turn of Clint Eastwood. The police showed up at the veteran actor and director’s Bel-Air home in response to a caller who claimed men with assault weapons were on the premises.
Selena Gomez
In April 2013, Selena Gomez got her share of swatting. The prankster told the 911 dispatcher that Selena’s dad had just killed her mother and was threatening to burn down the house. The Los Angeles police were unable to track down the swatter.
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Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus was a victim of swatting in May 2013. A fake 911 call from a woman claimed she was hiding in a closet in Cyrus L.A. home after she heard shots fired. If anyone was caught in any of the incidents, it never made headlines.
Swatting is a dangerous prank that can have fatal consequences. However, what is even more frustrating is that the perpetrators are rarely caught, and they will probably continue endangering the lives of celebrities with prank calls.
Why exactly is it so hard to track down swatters? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
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