Youtuber Jake Paul faces charges for participating in riots

LOS ANGELES: Famous Youtuber and social media influencer Jake Paul faces misdemeanour charges after a riot at a mall outside Phoenix, Arizona where protests were being held.

Paul denied the allegations that he was looting and said he was merely trying to find people protesting against the death of George Floyd.

Paul, aged 23, was identified as a participant in a riot last Saturday night at Scottsdale Fashion Square and has been charged with criminal trespassing and unlawful assembly, the police said in a statement.

Police determined that “Paul was present after the protest was declared an unlawful assembly and the rioters were urged to leave the area by police.” He entered and remained inside the mall when it was closed, police said.

Police Sgt. Benjamin Hoster said he didn’t know whether Paul has an attorney and that he was issued a summons to appear in court “in a month.”

Paul, who has over 20 million YouTube subscribers, said in video posted on Wednesday that he and friends went to the mall to attend a protest against the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

They instead found people engaged in looting and property damage that included shattered windows of offices and stores, Paul said, adding that he did not participate in that activity. “That’s the way it looked on camera. However that isn’t the case,” he said.

Paul said he kept walking in the mall area despite encountering the criminal activity because he still wanted to find the protest.

He said it was upsetting that social media posts accused him of vandalism. “I’m above that. I don’t need to vanadalise. I don’t need to loot and I know it’s not the way forward.”

Paul said he was an “easy target” and that he has learned a lesson about entering situations that could pose problems. “It’s not going to stop me from doing what I need to do.”