A SOCIAL media influencer was arrested on Wednesday after allegedly launching fireworks at a luxury sportscar from a helicopter for a viral video.
Alex Choi from Studio City, California was arrested for causing the placement of an explosive or incendiary device on an aircraft.
Federal officials accused him of taking a Lamborghini to El Mirage Dry Lakebed in San Bernardino County, where his friends shot fireworks out of a helicopter at the speeding car.
Choi, who has 1.2 million followers on Instagram, posted the video on social media but has since taken it down.
However, clips can still be found online, showing fireworks soaring in the air as they hit the speeding car.
The Lamborghini does donuts on the ground while sparks fly around the vehicle.
Choi was scheduled to appear in federal court on Thursday afternoon, according to a complaint from the US Department of Justice.
The DOJ wrote in the complaint that Choi “directed a YouTube video in which two women in a helicopter – flying near the ground and without filming permits – repeatedly shot fireworks at a Lamborghini sportscar.”
The video called, Destroying a Lamborghini with Fireworks was shot in June 2023 and posted on July 4, 2023.
In the nearly 11-minute video, Choi presses a button labeled “fire missiles,” and two women in a moving helicopter shoot fireworks toward the Lamborghini, read the complaint.
“After shooting what appears to be a live-action version of a fictionalized video game scene, the video transitions to a behind-the-scenes look at how Choi shot the first third of the video,” read court documents.
“Choi wrote his idea was to make a short, one-minute video of an ‘attack helicopter shooting missiles (mortar style fireworks) at the car, while the car is trying to run away and dodge the missiles using flares (roman candle fireworks attached to the back of the car,'”
The complaint also reveals text messages between Choi and the camera company he used for the shoot.
In a message to Choi, the sender wrote shared an idea about cameras shooting “insane 260-degree bumpers shot with firecrackers.”
Choi allegedly replied that he could “get my friend with a helicopter out and attach cameras on the helicopter while he chases me.”
“I can even have someone sitting in the helicopter and have them shoot fireworks back at me,” he wrote in another text, according to the complaint.
Authorities said Choi didn’t receive the required approval from the Federal Aviation Administration to film the video.
He also didn’t have an explosives license or permit from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
If convicted, he faces a maximum of 10 years in federal prison.
The pilots in the helicopter had their licenses suspended.
Choi’s last YouTube video was posted five months ago, where it sits at 1.3 million views.
His Instagram account has also been active around the same time.
Still, he receives a lot of engagement on his videos, including several comments calling for his return.
“Free Alex Choi!” read one comment.
“Free the homie Alex Choi” read another comment.
The U.S. Sun has reached out to Choi and police for comment.
