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Rapper could face charges over calls

LOS ANGELES

A rapper could face criminal charges after a tweet from his account incited a telephone flash mob that overwhelmed the emergency phone system at one of the busiest stations of the Los Angeles County sheriff’s department, the agency said Saturday.

The sheriff’s department alleges The Game tweeted the Compton station’s phone number Friday and told his 580,000 followers to call the number if they wanted an internship.

Phones at the southeast Los Angeles County station started ringing at 5:23 p.m. Friday, and the lines were jammed by hundreds of calls for more than two hours, prompting authorities to bring in additional help. Many callers hung up as soon as someone answered, while others asked deputies about a music internship.

During that time, people with legitimate issues that included a missing person, spousal abuse and two robberies also were trying to call in, department spokesman Steve Whitmore said.

Associated Press