The Game's Tweet: Rapper Could Face Charges for Inciting Flash Mob

If you're a celebrity, there are probably thousands of eyes on your Twitter account. So maybe it's no surprise that if you're a rapper named The Game, one tweet can send a flurry of calls to a sheriff's office in Compton, California. The calls were the result of a prank post on The Game's Twitter account.

Was this actually all a game to The Game? A Twitter prank may seem funny at first, but it probably gets a whole lot less hilarious when criminal charges are considered.

Understandably, the targeted sheriff's office was not amused with the rapper.

The prank began when The Game tweeted the sheriff's office's phone number to his followers, telling them to ask about an internship. The Game has about 580,000 followers on Twitter, reports the Los Angeles Times.

The tweet did not indicate that the number listed was actually a sheriff's office, according to the Los Angeles Times. But, the tweet did have an effect.

Increased phone traffic caused lines to be jammed for about two hours, according to the AP.

Police spokesman Steve Whitmore said that while the phones were clogged with callers asking about internships, legitimate crimes were waiting to be solved, the AP reports. People tried calling in about a missing person case, spousal abuse, and robberies.

So, now The Game might be facing some charges. A criminal investigation was launched, and the rapper may face obstruction of justice charges, according to the AP.

At first, The Game denied culpability saying that his account was hacked. Later, he said that it was an accident, the AP reports.

Which begs the question - was The Game's tweet a Twitter prank gone awry, or was his account really hacked? And, what can the rapper do to help smooth things over with law enforcement? The sheriff's office says that they would like an apology, reports the Los Angeles Times. But, The Game's Twitter posts remain fully unapologetic, at least for now.

Related Resources:

• Rapper could face charges tied to flash mob (AP)
• 'The Game' Asks Court to Ban 'Gangster Rapper' at Trial (FindLaw's Celebrity Justice)
• Is Rep. Anthony Weiner's Twitter Hack Criminal? (FindLaw Blotter)