California prosecutors announced the arrest of YouTuber Suk Min Choi, known online as Alex Choi, for allegedly orchestrating a dangerous stunt involving fireworks and a speeding Lamborghini. Choi, who has nearly one million subscribers on his channel, is accused of directing a helicopter to shoot fireworks at the luxury car for a video titled “Destroying a Lamborghini with Fireworks.”
The incident occurred last summer on a dry lakebed in California. According to an affidavit, Choi, 24, allegedly pressed a “fire missiles” button while two women in a helicopter launched fireworks at the moving Lamborghini. The behind-the-scenes footage reportedly shows Choi coordinating the shoot and expressing gratitude to a camera company for “being a part of my crazy stupid ideas.”
Choi has been charged with “causing the placement of an explosive or incendiary device on an aircraft.” If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in federal prison. The 11-minute video has since been removed from his YouTube channel.
The Department of Justice stated that the helicopter was flying near the ground without proper filming permits. Additionally, Choi is believed to have purchased the fireworks in Nevada, as they are illegal in California.
Choi was scheduled to appear in a Los Angeles court on Thursday, with his arraignment to follow in the coming weeks.
This case is reminiscent of another YouTuber, Trevor Jacob, who was jailed for six months last year after deliberately crashing his plane to increase his viewership and then lying to investigators about the incident.