Kate Hudson in gun scare

Hollywood actress Kate Hudson had a terrifying gun scare outside her house today, according to U.S. reports.

Police rushed to the 'Almost Famous' star's street after a woman dialed 911 saying she thought someone had a rifle, according to news reports.

Onlookers say a helicopter and SWAT team rushed to the area and cleared the whole street of passersby.

At least one of three men seen in the street was then forced to lie on the ground and handcuffed, according to the witnesses.

Hudson - in New York with her son Ryder, 4 - was understood to be inside her house with her son at the time.

"It was absolute mayhem down there," a witness said. "You get calls of a gun being seen and the police throw everything at it. So there were helicopters and SWAT squads, the lot.

"I was moved well back and all I could see was a guy on the ground in handcuffs."

However, yesterday it was believed the matter may have been a false alarm - and the 'gun' may have been a prop for a student movie being made.

"A saw a couple of guys messing around with a video camera earlier and everyone down there assumes it was the same guys who had a rifle of some sort. Even a toy gun from a distance can look scary."

News website TMZ also said: "When cops arrived, they found two young men, one with a camera and one with an unloaded rifle.

"From what we're hearing on the scene, the men are telling cops they are shooting a movie. New York University is nearby."

A spokesman for the NYPD said: "We're looking into it."