Justin Bieber's California Home Gets 'Swatted' by 911 Pranksters

A SWAT team descended upon Justin Bieber's home in Calabasas, Calif., on Wednesday, responding to a 911 call that turned out to be a hoax.

our editor recommends

Justin Bieber, Rihanna Fan Club Sites Operator to Pay $1 Million in Privacy Settlement

Justin Bieber Touches Down in Los Angeles With Out-Of-This-World Show: Concert Review

Citing officials, the L.A. Times reports that the emergency call was transmitted around 1:40 a.m. through a TTY device generally used by the deaf and hearing-impaired to type text over the phone. The message, purportedly dispatched from inside Casa Bieber, reported there was someone with a weapon.

When armed police deputies arrived on the scene, people at the property said they never contacted 911.

Turns out Bieber, who wasn't home at the time, had been the latest target of a new pranking trend called "swatting," which has also singled out other celebs like Ashton Kutcher and Miley Cyrus.

VIDEO: Justin Bieber Vomits Onstage in Arizona

Last week, pranksters "swatted" Kutcher's home in L.A., using a TTY to report that a woman was hiding in a closet because there was a man with a gun on the premises. Police also responded to a faux emergency call reporting a shooting and subsequent hostage crisis at Cyrus' house in Studio City abode in August.

As for Bieber, it's been a bizarre few days for the 18-year-old pop prince. Earlier this week, he and his tour manager were the victims of theft when their "stuff" was stolen, Bieber tweeted Wednesday, writing: "i had a lot of personal footage on that computer and camera and that is what bothers me the most. #lame #norespect."

That cryptic post led some inquiring minds to wonder whether Bieber was hinting that a sex tape was among the lost "personal footage." Adding to the tawdry talk, an alleged nude photo of the singer surfaced on the web, and was later debunked by internet investigators as a fake, Gawker reports.

Twitter: @ErinLCarlson

Email: erin.carlson@thr.com