A Los Angeles YouTuber was arrested this week, accused of directing a video in which fireworks were shot from a flying helicopter at a moving Lamborghini.
Suk Min Choi, 24, social media alias Alex Choi, was charged Wednesday with causing the placement of an explosive or incendiary device on an aircraft.
On July 4, Mr. Choi posted a video on YouTube titled “Destroying a Lamborghini With Fireworks.” Clips can be seen on YouTube, TikTok and other social media platforms.
In the video, Mr. Choi and others shot a live recreation of a scene from an unspecified video game. He pressed a “fire missiles” button as two women shot fireworks from the helicopter at the sports car, said Cristina Jones, special agent at the Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General, in an affidavit filed with the federal criminal complaint.
The offense took place in two shoots, June 8 and June 27, 2023, on a federally owned part of the El Mirage Dry Lake Bed in San Bernardino County, California, according to the affidavit.
Mr. Choi was credited as director of the video, Ms. Jones wrote, and reportedly stopped filming, saying, “No, that’s it, we’re out of fireworks, right?” At one point in the video, Mr. Choi appeared near the helicopter holding a firework.
To film such a video legally, the people involved would need authorization from the Federal Aviation Administration. The June 27 shoot was not given such permission, Ms. Jones wrote.
The FAA revoked the license of the unnamed helicopter pilot involved in the June 27 shoot, due to the purported use of fireworks by passengers and because the helicopter was operated less than 500 feet from people and a car and flew lower than the minimum altitude required by regulations.
Also, the Bureau of Land Management didn’t issue a filming or pyrotechnics permit.
As for the fireworks, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives told Ms. Jones that Mr. Choi never received a permit nor license to use explosives. In text messages he reportedly exchanged with the camera company that sponsored the video, he said, “I would also have to drive to Las Vegas to buy fireworks, as they are illegal in California.”
If convicted, Mr. Choi faces a maximum of 10 years in prison.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.