MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP) — An
apparent hoax summoned a strong police response Wednesday to the home of
rapper Lil Wayne after an unknown caller reported a shooting.
The call came in at 12:40 p.m. on a non-emergency
line, Miami Beach police spokesman Ernesto Rodriguez said. The caller
claimed four people had been shot at the waterfront home on an exclusive
Miami Beach island.The responding officers, including a heavily armed SWAT team, found no evidence of a shooting, no victims and no gunman. Rodriguez also said the owner of the home — Lil Wayne, whose real name is Dwayne Michael Carter — was not there at the time.
The rapper's representative, Chris Chambers, said Lil Wayne was in a recording studio when the incident took place. "We can say for sure it was a hoax," Rodriguez said. "It's not a laughing matter." The department said in a tweet that the phony call was an example of "swatting," in which people call in a false crime report to police in order to trigger a massive response.
"MBPD handles all calls of this nature in a serious manner," the department's tweet said. Police spoke with house staff members and went through the eight-bedroom, 10-bath home, Rodriguez added. Police K-9 dogs were also deployed.
Property records show the home, featuring a rooftop pool and boat dock, was most recently assessed at $9.4 million.
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