The disturbing trend of swatting continues to plague the livestreaming community, and yesterday, Ned Luke, the talented actor behind Michael De Santa in Grand Theft Auto V, fell victim to this dangerous practice once again. This marks the seventh time that Luke has been swatted, and remarkably, it’s the second occurrence in just over a month.
Around half an hour into his latest GTA V livestream, Luke took a call from his wife, Amy Luke, who seemingly alerted him to the fact that he was being swatted. In a remarkably composed manner, he informed his viewers, saying, “Oh, I’m getting swatted, isn’t that great?” Luke then went live from his phone, excusing himself from the stream for a brief period.
Returning five minutes later, Ned shared, “Alright, well, that was fun. Nice try. Didn’t work, didn’t work – did not work! Just another day in the neighborhood! Just like Mr. Rogers.” True to his in-game persona, he resumed playing, undeterred by the attempt to disrupt his stream.
For Luke, swatting has sadly become a routine occurrence. Despite the seriousness of the situation, he manages to maintain a lighthearted attitude, showcasing a refusal to let malicious individuals disrupt his composure. Addressing the issue in a lengthy Twitter thread after the sixth swatting incident, he emphasized, “They exist to annoy, irritate, and infuriate. IF YOU LET THEM. I don’t let them.”
I was hoping this shit would stay quiet…but…let me address it. Everyone is fine, thanks for your concern. This is the SIXTH time we have been swatted, but points for originality, this time they sent the fire department. There is nothing cute or clever or funny about this 1/
— Ned Luke (@ned_luke) November 24, 2023
Swatting remains a challenging issue to track and prevent, especially considering the ease with which individuals with ill-intent can acquire the locations of popular streamers nowadays. This trend has seen a disturbing increase in recent years, sometimes resulting in tragic consequences, including loss of life. Ned Luke’s experience serves as a lesson for other streamers on how to handle and discourage such malicious acts.
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