Lil Wayne A Victim of Celebrity 'Swatting' In South Florida
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MIAMI BEACH (CBSMiami) – Miami Beach police checked out reports of a shooting Wednesday afternoon at the home of rapper Lil' Wayne on La Gorce Island.
Highly trained officers strapped on bulletproof vests, brought out the big guns, and the K9s responding to the call.
"We received one phone call via our non-emergency call. The individual who called advised that he had shot four people and he requested police assistance, "said Officer Ernesto Rodriguez.
SWAT entered the home, at 94 La Gorce Circle, around 2:40 p.m. but did not find any evidence of a shooting.
Miami Beach Police tweeted that the incident, "appears to be a "Swatting" call. No victims/no injuries/no subject at 94 LaGorce."
CLICK HERE to watch Lauren Pastrana's report.
The prank, called "SWATTING," involves making a hoax call to 911 to draw a response from highly-trained and heavily-armed law enforcement, usually a SWAT team.
Young Money Entertainment, Lil' Wayne's record label, tweeted Wednesday that he was not "home during the alleged events."
Later, Lil' Wayne sent out a tweet, using his usual slang, saying "Prank kall mane."
La Gorce neighborhood handyman Clint Reimann watched from next door as officers surveyed the area.
"The dogs, the canine units. Everybody had their post. The boats were in the water," he told CBS4's Natalia Zea.
He, and a Miami Beach police officer also said this isn't the first police have been called to the rapper's home.
"A fan, she swam through the coast just to get up on the back. He wasn't here. He was out-of-town," said Reimann. He added the rapper's girlfriend at the time called police for help.
Sources say Lil' Wayne was at a recording studio in North Miami Beach when the incident unfolded.
Several cars were seen entering the home throughout the afternoon. Lil' Wayne drove away just after 6 p.m. He did not respond to questions from waiting reporters.
Police said this prank call was a waste of officer time and resources though they insist it did not cause significant delays for service in other parts of the city.
Investigators will now try to determine who made the call.
Calls to the police non-emergency line are recorded. CBS4 has requested a copy of that audio.
