DDG says he was the goal of a harmful swatting incident over the weekend—a false emergency name that drew police to his location and briefly left him in custody. The episode, broadcast in actual time throughout social media, marks one other tense second for the 26-year-old artist, whose latest months have been punctuated by public disputes and private upheaval.

The confrontation unfolded at a paintball match within the desert, the place footage posted by Live Bitez on Instagram confirmed officers restraining DDG on the bottom. The clip ricocheted throughout the web, adopted by one other video capturing his launch as spectators erupted in cheers. Authorities have but to make clear whether or not he was formally arrested or solely detained, however early accounts level to a swatting hoax because the set off for the police response.

The on-line response was swift and cut up. Supporters expressed alarm on the dangers he confronted, whereas detractors accused him of staging the scene for publicity. “He does everything he sees other streamers do,” one Instagram consumer wrote. Another commented, “I guarantee they called on themselves… They will do anything for some clicks.”

Swatting Prank Adds Turmoil to DDG’s Year

In a publish shared by @onlydubsX on X, previously Twitter, DDG rebuked those that handled the incident as fodder for jokes. “I don’t understand why some people find this funny. It’s not a joke. When you face serious charges and your loved ones are left in tears, I won’t be able to laugh at the repercussions of your actions,” he wrote. His assertion displays a rising unease amongst streamers who say swatting has shifted from a disruptive prank to a harmful, typically lethal, type of harassment.

The incident additionally lands amid an already fraught chapter in DDG’s private life. Earlier this yr, his former accomplice, singer Halle Bailey, secured a restraining order after accusing him of a violent altercation throughout a custody change for his or her toddler son, Halo. Granted in May, the order deepened what had already grow to be a public and bitter dispute.

The swatting episode has grow to be greater than a star flashpoint. It is a reminder that on-line antics, whether or not rooted in malice or efficiency, can spill into real-world confrontations with unpredictable and lasting penalties. For DDG, it provides one other layer of volatility to his public persona—and underscores the more and more skinny line between web spectacle and real disaster.