Police in Scottsdale, Arizona have charged popular YouTuber Jake Paul for his alleged participation in a mall riot over the weekend.
Police said Thursday that 23-year-old Jake Joseph Paul was identified as being present among hundreds of tips and videos sent to officials. He reportedly unlawfully entered and remained inside Scottsdale Fashion Square mall when it was closed.
Officials say Paul, who has a large following on YouTube, “was present after the protest was declared an unlawful assembly and the rioters were ordered to leave the area by police.”
Paul has been charged with criminal trespassing and unlawful assembly, both misdemeanor charges. Police say he was issued a summons to appear in court in a month, but was not arrested.
Paul tweeted about the charges on Thursday afternoon, saying “gimme my charges and let’s put the focus back on George Floyd and Black Lives Matter.
“We filmed everything we saw in an effort to share our experience and bring more attention to the anger felt in every neighborhood we traveled through; we were strictly documenting, not engaging,” Paul further said.
The videos show a group of people smashing glass and breaking into stores inside the mall. They do not show Paul involved in any looting. Prominent members of the YouTube community, and an assortment of other critics online, criticized Paul for his appearance at the scene regardless.
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