Jake Paul: YouTube star charged after Arizona mall looting amid George Floyd protests

‘Gimme my charges and let’s put the focus back on George Floyd and Black Lives Matter’

YouTuber Jake Paul has been charged by police after being identified among a crowd of looters,

The social media star was charged with criminal trespassing and unlawful assembly by police in Scottsdale Arizona after being seen among vandals in Scottsdale, Arizona. Both charges are misdemeanours.

“In our continued investigation, it was confirmed that Jake Paul was in attendance and remained inside after an unlawful assembly was declared and has been charged with Criminal Trespass & Unlawful Assembly,” the Scottsdale Police Department said in a tweet on Thursday (4 June) from its official account.

In response, Paul said in a tweet: “Gimme my charges and let’s put the focus back on George Floyd and Black Lives Matter.”

Paul came under fire after he posted videos onto his Instagram story of looters outside the Fashion Square mall in Arizona, where others are damaging the exterior of a PF Chang restaurant. Someone can be seen recognising Paul and having a photo with him.

Later in the video, Paul walks into the mall where looting is taking place.

“To be absolutely clear, neither I nor anyone in our group was engaged in any looting or vandalism,” Paul wrote on Twitter and posted as an Instagram Story.

However, many responded with confusion, as one Twitter user highlighted the fact that Paul seemed to be “hyping up” the looters by “getting all excited” in the video.

“He literally tried to break a window of a car inside the mall and it’s on video – he’s just straight lying,” one user wrote.

Another said the YouTube star could be seen holding a bottle of vodka that they claimed has just had been stolen from a shop name PF Chang’s.

“The Black Lives Matter movement is NOT an opportunity for you to film a YouTube video and post it for revenue,” another angry tweeter wrote. “Saying you ‘don’t condone violence or looting”’ but then FILMING SAID LOOTING IS ENCOURAGING IT.”

After seeing the looting video, Logan Paul publicly scolded his brother.

“To be honest, this one is so f***ing hard for me because I love the kid,” he told his millions of followers. ”I love him, but I don’t always like him. He’s my brother, he’s my family, he’s my blood.”

Paul’s statement came as protests took part in numerous US cities following the death of George Floyd.