Playboy Mansion -- Bogus 911 Call ... NOT a 'Swatting' Prank

LAPD officers rushed to the Playboy Mansion earlier today in response to a bogus 911 call reporting an assault inside the home -- but we're told ... cops do NOT believe it was a "swatting" prank.

When cops arrived at the scene, the LAPD says there was no evidence a crime had been committed on the property.

After an initial investigation showed no signs of an assault, an LAPD spokesman told the media, "It could be one of those swatting calls."

But law enforcement sources tell us, police have since been able to identify the caller and no longer believe it was a "swatting" prank. We're told the call wasn't intended to garner a SWAT response ... which is the whole point of "swatting" pranks. In fact, only two squad cars responded to the home.

We're told cops believe there's a possibility the caller was convinced an assault had actually occurred. Law enforcement is still investigating the situation.

It's not surprising cops initially jumped to the "swatting" conclusion -- Hollywood's been besieged with "swatting" pranks in recent months ... reporting fake crimes at celebrities' homes in the hopes SWAT teams will be called in on false pretenses.

Recent victims include Ashton Kutcher, Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, Simon Cowell, Tom Cruise, the Kardashians, and Chris Brown.

As we reported, a 12-year-old was charged earlier this month in connection with the "swatting" calls ... specifically for the Kutcher incident and another incident involving an L.A. bank.