LOS ANGELES—A San Fernando Valley man has been arrested for allegedly shooting fireworks at a Lamborghini sports car from an in-flight helicopter while filming a YouTube video, federal prosecutors announced Thursday, June 6.
Suk Min Choi, 24, known as “Alex Choi,” of Studio City, is charged with one count of causing the placement of an explosive or incendiary device on an aircraft, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Mr. Choi was arrested Wednesday and faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
At his initial appearance Thursday afternoon in Los Angeles federal court, Mr. Choi was granted release on a $50,000 bond. His arraignment was scheduled for July 2.
Mr. Choi did not immediately return an emailed request for comment.
According to an affidavit filed with the complaint, last July 4, Mr. Choi—a social media “influencer”—posted on his YouTube channel an 11-minute video titled, “Destroying a Lamborghini with Fireworks.”
In the video, Mr. Choi allegedly presses a “fire missiles” button while two women are in a helicopter, shooting fireworks at a speeding Lamborghini. Law enforcement believes the stunt was shot on federal land in the El Mirage Dry Lakebed in San Bernardino County.
After shooting what appears to be a live-action version of a scene from a fictional video game, the clip transitions to a behind-the-scenes look at how Mr. Choi shot the first third of the stunt. During this portion of the video, Mr. Choi allegedly makes various references to himself coordinating the shoot.
In the video, Mr. Choi thanks a camera company for “being a part of my crazy stupid ideas.” He also allegedly said in the video that the group that helped make the video messed up at one point, “because I forgot to tell my friend how to use a torch,” according to papers filed in Los Angeles federal court.
Finally, as noted in the affidavit, during the video it appears Mr. Choi made the decision to end the shoot when someone asked if they would film again, stating, “No, that’s it. We’re out of fireworks, right?”
In other parts of the video, Mr. Choi is seen next to the helicopter, holding what appears to be a firework, according to the affidavit.
Law enforcement believes that Mr. Choi committed the offense sometime in June 2023, that he did not have a permit to film a shoot using fireworks on a helicopter, and that he purchased the fireworks in Nevada because they were illegal in California, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
As of May 28, the video is no longer available on Mr. Choi’s YouTube channel, but other videos containing footage from Mr. Choi’s film can be viewed on other YouTube channels and social media accounts, according to the complaint.
Mr. Choi boasts 1.2 million followers on his Instagram account.
