YouTube star Jake Paul charged with trespassing following Arizona mall looting incident

Social media influencer Jake Paul was charged with criminal trespass and unlawful assembly after videos surfaced of him at an Arizona mall, which was looted on Saturday, May 30.

"We've received 100s of tips in response to the events at @ScottsdaleFS," the Scottsdale Police Department announced Thursday on its official Twitter account. "In our continued investigation it was confirmed that Jake Paul was in attendance & remained inside after an unlawful assembly was declared & has been charged with Criminal Trespass & Unlawful Assembly."

Paul, who has 20 million subscribers on his popular YouTube channel, responded to those charges on Thursday, tweeting: "gimme my charges and let’s put the focus back on George Floyd and Black Lives Matter."

Paul was caught on camera alongside looters at the Scottsdale Fashion Square Mall. Though he was not seen looting himself, the videos quickly went viral. Paul clarified his actions and of friends around him soon after the clips surfaced.

"To be absolutely clear, neither I nor anyone in our group was engaged in any looting or vandalism," wrote Paul. "For context, we spent the day doing our part to peacefully protest one of the most horrific injustices our country has ever seen, which led to us being tear-gassed for filming the events and brutality that were unfolding in Arizona. We were gasses and forced to keep moving on foot."

Paul joins a list of high-profile figures seen demonstrating during the George Floyd protests around the country. Riverdale star Cole Sprouse was recently arrested while protesting in Santa Monica, Calif, although there were no charges of looting or trespassing in his case.

"I was detained when standing in solidarity, as were many of the final vanguard within Santa Monica. We were given the option to leave, and were informed that if we did not retreat, we would be arrested," Sprouse wrote on Monday.

To help combat systemic racism, please consider donating to these organizations:

• Campaign Zero, which is dedicated to ending police brutality in America through research-based strategies.
• Color of Change, which works to move decision makers in corporations and government to be more responsive to racial disparities.
• Equal Justice Initiative, which provides legal services to people who have been wrongly convicted, denied a fair trial, or abused in state jails and prisons.

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