YouTuber Alex Choi charged over stunt where fireworks were shot at Lamborghini from helicopter
The video was posted to his YouTube channel last year, the DOJ said.
A California YouTuber accused of directing a video in which fireworks were shot from a helicopter at a Lamborghini now faces a federal charge over the stunt, the Department of Justice announced on Thursday.
The nearly 11-minute video, dubbed "Destroying a Lamborghini with Fireworks," was posted on the YouTube channel belonging to Alex Choi -- born Suk Min Choi -- last year, according to a federal complaint.
The video -- which has since been taken down -- features two women in a helicopter repeatedly shooting fireworks at the Lamborghini in "what appears to be a live-action version of a fictionalized videogame scene," the complaint stated. The video is believed to have been filmed on June 27, 2023, on the El Mirage Dry Lakebed in San Bernardino County, according to the complaint.
Choi, 24, whose YouTube channel has more than 900,000 subscribers, was arrested Wednesday and charged with causing the placement of an explosive or incendiary device on an aircraft, the DOJ said.
The Studio City resident is scheduled to make his initial appearance Thursday afternoon in U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles. His arraignment is expected in the coming weeks.
If convicted, Choi faces a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison, the DOJ said.
ABC News has reached out to Choi's management company for comment. Online court records do not list any attorney information for him.
The complaint alleged that Choi did not have a permit to film a shooting using fireworks on a helicopter, and that he indicated in a text message prior to the shoot that he would have to purchase the fireworks in Nevada because they are illegal in California.
Choi is allegedly seen in the video driving the Lamborghini and pressing a "fire missiles" button while the women in the helicopter shoot fireworks at the sports car, the complaint said. In other parts of the video, he is allegedly captured next to the helicopter, holding what appears to be a firework, according to the complaint.
The video also includes a "behind-the-scenes look" in which Choi "makes various references to his coordinating the shoot," the complaint stated. The references included the text "Directed by Alex Choi" in the credits and Choi thanking a camera company for "being a part of my crazy stupid ideas," according to the complaint.
The DOJ had no comment on whether others could be charged in connection with the incident.
The Federal Aviation Administration revoked the helicopter pilot's license over the stunt, according to the complaint.