A prank burglary at Ashton Kutcher's Hollywood home last week cost the taxpayers of Los Angeles more than US$10,000 in wasted police manpower and other resources.
Police rushed to the 'Two and a Half Men' star's Arrowhead Drive mansion Wednesday after receiving a distress call from a woman who claimed she was the victim of a violent home invasion robbery, but the case is now being treated as an elaborate prank known as 'swatting'.
The hoax resulted in a massive number of police being deployed to the actor's home, involving dozens of heavily-armed officers from multiple divisions including a Los Angeles Police Department helicopter, according to US gossip website TMZ.
The alleged victim called 911 and said she had locked herself inside one of the bachelor pad's bathrooms after three gunshots were fired and that "people were either injured or dead".
Three men were detained when the Los Angeles Police Department arrived on the scene, but the suspects were cleared after it was discovered they were workers who were renovating the property under Kutcher’s authorisation.
There was no sign of the supposed victim and the authorities are "aggressively" looking for a culprit after ruling it a case of 'swatting', where someone falsely reports a serious crime.
An LAPD spokesman said: "Right now, I believe it is all clear and checked. Public safety is no longer an issue there."
Miley Cyrus was the subject of a similar prank in August, when police found no sign of trouble upon arriving at her house.
Kutcher - who is currently dating Mila Kunis - was not at home at the time of the incident, but rushed home immediately.
The Hollywood funnyman purchased the $3.6 million mansion following his split from Demi Moore in March.
