A Los Angeles YouTuber was arrested this week, accused of directing a video where fireworks were shot from a flying helicopter at a moving Lamborghini.
Suk Min Choi, 24, social media alias Alex Choi, was charged Wednesday with one count of causing the placement of an explosive or incendiary device on an aircraft.
Last July 4, Mr. Choi posted a video on YouTube titled “Destroying a Lamborghini With Fireworks.” Clips remain visible on YouTube, TikTok and other social media platforms.
In the video, Mr. Choi and others purportedly shot a live re-creation of a scene from an unspecified videogame. He pressed a “fire missiles” button as two unnamed women shot fireworks from the helicopter at the sports car, Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General Special Agent Cristina Jones said in an affidavit.
The alleged 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.
Mr. Choi was credited as director of the video, Ms. Jones wrote, and purportedly 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 Federal Aviation Administration authorization. The June 27 shoot was not given such a waiver, Ms. Jones wrote.
The FAA revoked the license of the unnamed helicopter pilot involved in the alleged 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 or 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, per a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.
• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.