Grand Theft Auto 5 actor Ned Luke has celebrated the sentencing of an online swatter who will now serve four years in jail.
Luke, who played Michael De Santa in Rockstar’s blockbuster, regularly streams himself playing GTA Online — and has fallen victim to swatting attempts numerous times.
The practice of hoax calling the police to turn up at a streamer’s address while they’re on camera — usually with a claim of violence to provoke an armed response — has sadly become prevelant, and evidence exists of Luke being swatted on at least four occaisons following a leak of his personal address.
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Now, however, progress has clearly been made in catching those responsible. In a post on X/Twitter, Luke shared a letter from the U.S. Department of Justice confirming that at least one perpetrator had now been sentenced — to “incarceration of four years followed by supervised release of three years,” plus a $200 fine.
“Don’t drop the soap in the shower douchebag,” Luke commented. “Won’t be swatting anyone anytime soon… and they’re coming for the ones he ratted out as well.” He signed off his post with five star emoji, a nod to GTA’s highest wanted level.
Luke has now been swatted so often that a recent visit by the police in December 2025 saw two officers turning up knowing full well they were likely attending a hoax call. Footage of the incident shows them and Luke wishing each other a merry Christmas, before Luke returns to playing GTA 5.
By sharing news of the swatter’s sentencing, Luke likely hopes to deter others from doing similar. Here’s hoping he has a quieter time streaming GTA 6, which is due on November 19.
Photo by Erika Goldring/Getty Images.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
