Two individuals livestreaming on Melrose Avenue were detained by Los Angeles County deputies Sunday evening after authorities responded to a fraudulent emergency call claiming an active shooting was underway in the area.
Kick platform streamer N3on and his associate Benjy Chavez were walking along the popular shopping district when law enforcement officers instructed them to stop and assume a prone position on the pavement. Video footage from the livestream captured the moment deputies ordered both individuals to their knees with hands behind their heads.
According to law enforcement sources, an individual contacted emergency services claiming that people in the vicinity were attempting to carry out a shooting. Deputies responded to the location, located N3on and Chavez, and briefly detained them while investigating the report.
The incident represents what authorities classify as swatting—a dangerous practice in which individuals make false emergency reports to provoke armed law enforcement responses against specific targets. N3on appeared to recognize the situation immediately, calmly complying with officer instructions while Chavez appeared visibly startled by the encounter.
Authorities determined the emergency call was fraudulent, and both individuals were released without charges. The investigation into who placed the false report remains ongoing.
This marks at least the second swatting incident involving N3on in Los Angeles. In October, a similar false report was made while the streamer was broadcasting continuously from his residence. That previous incident resulted in restrictions prohibiting him from filming in certain areas of the city during a scheduled 30-day streaming marathon.
Swatting has become an increasingly serious concern for law enforcement agencies nationwide. The practice not only wastes critical emergency resources but also creates genuinely dangerous situations for both targets and responding officers. False emergency calls can result in armed confrontations based on fabricated threats, and perpetrators face potential federal charges including conspiracy, making false reports, and wire fraud.
Despite the repeated incidents, N3on has continued his livestreaming activities throughout Los Angeles, maintaining his presence on public streets and commercial districts. The streamer has built a substantial following on the Kick platform, where creators broadcast their daily activities to online audiences.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has not released additional information regarding potential suspects in Sunday's swatting call or whether the incident is connected to previous false reports targeting the same individual.