Actress and television personality Garcelle Beauvais has become the latest public figure to fall victim to a swatting hoax, after a false emergency call prompted a heavy police response at her home in California’s San Fernando Valley.
According to authorities, an unknown individual placed a 911 call on Jan 25 claiming to be Beauvais’ ex-partner and alleging that he was armed with a shotgun outside the actress’s Porter Ranch residence. The call was treated as a high-risk emergency involving a possible assault with a deadly weapon and reports of shots fired, according to L.A. Magazine.
Officers from the Los Angeles Police Department responded swiftly to the scene but found no evidence of any criminal activity. Police later confirmed the incident was a hoax.
Reports indicate that Beauvais was home alone at the time and was unaware that the false report had been made until after police arrived. The actress reportedly described the ordeal as “extremely scary,” highlighting the emotional toll such incidents can have on victims.
This is not the first time the NYPD Blue and Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star has been targeted. In a 2025 interview on Radio Andy’s Smith Sisters Live, Beauvais disclosed that a similar swatting call had been made at her beach house just months earlier, underscoring a troubling pattern of repeated harassment.
Swatting is widely regarded by law enforcement agencies as a dangerous and criminal act. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security defines it as the deliberate placement of false emergency calls designed to provoke an intense police response by falsely reporting serious crimes such as active shooter situations, bomb threats, or hostage crises. Authorities warn that swatting can lead to serious injuries, loss of life, and long-term psychological trauma for those targeted.
The Department of Homeland Security has stressed that swatting is illegal and carries severe legal consequences for perpetrators, particularly due to the risk it poses to both law enforcement officers and innocent civilians.
As of publication, KTLA 5 reported that it had reached out to the LAPD and Beauvais’ representatives for further comment, but no official response had yet been received.
