The horror movies "The Purge" and "The Purge: Anarchy" have grossed millions of dollars worldwide scaring audiences with the idea that for one night all crime is legally permitted. However, a hoax threat online promoting a "Louisville Purge" began to spread the same idea.

The fake messages, which even listed a date and time for when the crime spree was set to start, were posted to Twitter. The Louisville Purge warning sparked copycat tweets and Facebook posts; some even went as far as to create altered versions of the 2013 movie poster. It also prompted police action.

Police said they located and spoke to the teenager who posted the original purge tweet. They said the young person was not arrested or charged.

This person apologized via the media on Friday and said that the message was only meant to be a joke.

"I didn't think it would really get that serious until it actually did," the teen told reporters from NBC Louisville affiliate WAVE 3. "Then I started feeling really bad about it because people's mammas talkin' bout movin' to Indiana for the night and stuff. It was wrong for me to do that. I apologize to everybody in Louisville. I love my city. It's where I was born and raised. I love my city and don't really wanna harm my city. I just thought it would be funny."

After receiving several calls about the worrisome messages, Louisville police began to investigate who was responsible for these online murmurs.

A spokesperson for the Jefferson police department, located over 100 miles west of Louisville, told The Courier-Journal that patrols in their area had stepped up because of the purge threats. The newspaper also reported that a local high school football scrimmage had been postponed due to concerns over safety.