LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Nicki Minaj reportedly became a victim of "swatting" attacks when an anonymous caller falsely told authorities that her 2-year-old son was being abused. Earlier this month, investigators paid a visit at the ‘Super Bass’ hitmaker’s Los Angeles mansion after the caller notified child services that her son was in danger.
Minaj and her husband, Kenneth Petty, spoke to the Los Angeles Police Department sheriff’s deputies at her home. The officer arrived at about 6 pm and examined her son before determining that there were no signs of abuse, a law enforcement source told TMZ Sunday. A few hours later, a different caller dialed 911 to report a fire at Minaj's home. Following this, the family was awakened at 3 am. However, no flames were evident when firefighters arrived at her place. It quickly became clear that the rapper had been "swatted,” and there was no truth to the bogus phone calls.
What is swatting?
The act of "swatting" involves phoning the police to make up a false report in order to get a huge police reaction that can involve an armed SWAT team. False 911 calls are against the law and, in the state of California, are punishable by fines and jail time as well as felony or misdemeanor penalties. According to estimates by retired FBI agent Kevin Kolbye, there were 400 swatting incidents in 2011 and more than 1,000 cases in 2019. US Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene and former White House advisor Steve Bannon have both been "swatted" several times in the recent past, with the Republican lawmaker has been the target of the joke at least six times, according to New York Post.
The ‘Trolls’ artist is currently taking legal action against the individuals responsible, the media outlet added. Minaj welcomed her son, whom she refers to as Papa Bear, in September 2020, just a year after her marriage to Petty. Minaj prefers to keep her son out of the public eye and has yet no revealed his name. These new ‘Swat’ attacks came just a few days after Minaj’s husband was sued by a woman named Jennifer Hough, who claimed that he sexually assaulted her. According to documents, obtained by HipHopDX, a conference between attorneys for both parties is scheduled for June 12.
Why was Kenneth Petty arrested in 1995?
The music executive was convicted of rape in 1995 and sentenced to prison for an incident that occurred while both he and the victim were 16 years old. When he and Nicki relocated to California, Kenneth neglected to register as a convicted sex offender and as a result, he was given a one-year home detention and a three-year probation term last July. The American Music Award winner has not publicly addressed the alleged instances; instead, she has been touting her partnership with Ice Spice on the song 'Barbie World', which will appear on the soundtrack of the next 'Barbie' film.
