YouTube star Jake Paul was charged on Thursday with criminal trespassing and unlawful assembly after he walked through a mall in Scottsdale, Arizona, that was ransacked by looters last month.
An investigation found Paul, 23, “was present” in the Scottsdale Fashion Square mall “after the protest was declared an unlawful assembly and the rioters were ordered to leave the area,” police said.
Paul addressed the charges on Twitter but did not deny his own guilt, writing, “Gimme my charges and let’s put the focus back on George Floyd and Black Lives Matter.” Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, died in Minneapolis police custody last week, spurring nationwide protests against racial inequality and police brutality.
Sgt. Ben Hoster, a spokesman for the Scottsdale Police Department, told NBC News that Paul has been issued a summons to appear in an Arizona court in July.
After Paul filmed looters at the mall, critics on social media began to accuse the content creator of participating in the looting himself. None of the videos appear to show Paul engaging in theft.
On Twitter, Paul defended his actions, writing, “To be absolutely clear, neither I nor anyone in our group was engaged in any looting or vandalism.” He continued, “We were strictly documenting, not engaging. I do not condone violence, looting, or breaking the law.”
In a video posted Wednesday, which Paul says he will soon delete, he explained what unfolded that evening, asserting his support for the protesters and touting the various other charitable initiatives he’s participated in.
“I’m above that. I don’t need to vandalize. I don’t need to loot,” he said. “I don’t regret, and I will continue to document things that I think need to be shared with America. If, along that process, people want to accuse me of things that they know I’m not doing because my name is Jake Paul, then so be it. I’m an easy target. I know I am.”
Many are still suspicious of the YouTuber’s intentions, whether or not he was involved in the looting. Popular YouTuber Philip DeFranco said, “It is my opinion that he is a generally bad guy who knows how to mimic being a good human when it serves him. Based off of everything I’ve seen thus far, it appears like he was there for content to be a tourist to the chaos.”
