A Bungie executive was awoken at 4AM by police and a chopper flying over his head, the latest victim in the prank called "swatting."

KOMO in Seattle reports that police in Sammamish, WA responded to the home of the Bungie exec after an anonymous caller reported crimes taking place in and around the property.

"The caller said he had an assault rifle and he had placed explosives in the yard and he was holding a family hostage," Sammamish Police chief Nathan Elledge said to KOMO. "He wanted $20,000 to release the family."

Police took nearly an hour to determine that the call was in fact a hoax, and also that the call did not originate from the house as originally thought but from a computer off-site. If caught by authorities the caller could face up to one year in prison and a fine of $5,000.

"This is not a game. This is a very serious response that could've had serious consequences and we're just fortunate that didn't happen this time," Elledge said. "It puts officers' lives at risk when you respond to something this serious. It puts the citizens' lives at risk."

We hope that the Bungie executive and his family are OK today, and we hope that this devious prank fades into obscurity sooner rather than later.

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