A video has emerged of a YouTube prank gone terribly wrong.
Tanner Cook, 21, runs a YouTube channel called “Classified Goons,” which posts videos of Cook harassing unsuspecting strangers in the name of fun.
On April 2, Cook, who stands a hulking 6-foot-5, was at the food court in the Dulles Town Center mall in Sterling, Virginia, when he decided to get in the face of delivery driver Alan Colie, 31.
Cook can be seen in the video, obtained by Fox 5 in Washington, D.C., shoving his cellphone in Colie’s face.
“Hey dips**t, quit thinking about my twinkle,” the phone, through a Google Translate app, repeatedly ordered.
Colie attempts to get away from Cook and asks him multiple times to stop before finally pushing the phone from his face. Cook didn’t flinch and instead continued following Colie, the phone outstretched.
Clearly disturbed by the badgering, Colie reaches into his pocket, pulls out a handgun, and shoots the aggressive Cook in the chest.
Colie was arrested and pleaded not guilty, claiming he acted in self-defense.
On Thursday, after watching the video and roughly five hours of deliberation, a jury found Colie not guilty of aggravated malicious wounding, Fox 5 reports.
DULLES MALL YOUTUBE PRANKSTER SHOOTING#Fox5DC obtains never-before-seen video of interaction between Alan Colie & Tanner Cook on 4/2.
Colie: NOT GUILTY of most serious charges after attorney’s self-defense arguments.
Cook’s dad tells me his son was not a threat.#StayAhead pic.twitter.com/h8LwERdutq
— David Kaplan (@DKaplanFox5DC) September 29, 2023
The controversial verdict wasn’t easily reached.
Three hours into the deliberations, a note from the jury indicated it was “divided in terms of whether the defendant acted in self defense.”
“Loudoun County Circuit Court Judge Matthew Snow called the jury back into the courtroom around 3:30 p.m. and urged them to continue deliberations, a standard admonition given to juries that indicate they are deadlocked,” according to Fox 5. “The jury then delivered its verdicts at the end of the day.”
On two lesser firearms counts, the jury split the proverbial baby, convicting Colie of one of the charges and acquitting him on the other.
According to the delivery driver’s attorney, Adam Pouilliard, given that his client was acquitted on the grounds of self-defense, the firearms charge is inconsistent with the law. He has asked that conviction be set aside, and, in a hearing next month, a judge will hear his arguments.
Until then, Colie, who has been behind bars since his April arrest, will remain incarcerated.
Young people doing outrageous, often dangerous things to provoke reactions from people has long been a disturbing YouTube trend. In his closing arguments, Pouilliard said that Colie felt menaced by Cook’s actions.
Cook “is trying to confuse people to post videos,” Pouilliard said. “He’s not worried that he’s scaring people. He keeps doing this.”
On X, many feel Cook, who has recovered from his injury, got what he deserved.
“Hard to see the shooter as a villain or the antagonizer as a victim,” said one user. “Obviously it’s not the best way to deal with it, but the disrespect these content ‘creators’ seem to consistently come with is unacceptable to a lot of people.”
“Frankly, dude is lucky he wasn’t injured further,” the user stated.
Hard to see the shooter as a villain or the antagonizer as a victim. Obviously it’s not the best way to deal with it, but the disrespect these content “creators” seem to consistently come with is unacceptable to a lot of people. Frankly, dude is lucky he wasn’t injured further.
— Dave (@thedaveblair) September 30, 2023
It’s called f around and find out. Great work!
— Jax (@siryotamod) September 29, 2023
The guy gave him every opportunity to cut it out. Said stop, tried walking away, stiff arming and yet the YouTuber kept pursuing. Got what he deserved. You go looking for trouble that’s what you get
— John Smith (@jsmith964) September 30, 2023
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Melissa Fine is the former executive editor of Casino Player, Strictly Slots, and Poker
Digest magazines. She is a UCLA graduate, news junkie, and dedicated Stargate SG-
1 fan. Melissa currently lives with her dog and two cats in a tiny town in the Sierra
Nevada foothills.
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