YouTuber Jake Paul has been charged after a video of him "looting" at a protest went viral.
The 23-year-old's actions come as protests have spread around the globe following the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement in the wake of George Floyd's death.
Paul posted a video of himself to social media where he called the rioters at Scottsdale Fashion Square mall in Arizona "f*cking idiots".
Watch footage of the incident as part of a news report below:But despite appearing to disprove of the rioters' actions, alternative footage shared by Paul's videographer, Andrew Blue, showed the 23-year-old inside the mall alongside the very people he appeared to be criticizing.
This attracted criticism on social media, with one Twitter user writing: "As much as everyone wants to trash Jake Paul specifically for joining the riots, he's acting like a lot of folks. Thrilled by the spectacle, recording incriminating videos, lying about his intentions for being there, and blowing off steam about the pandemic and the lockdown."
The YouTuber later hit back at those who questioned what he was doing at the scene, saying that he was "strictly documenting, not engaging."
However, he has now been charged with criminal trespass and unlawful assembly.
According to NBC News, the Scottsdale Police Department released a statement to say it had "received hundreds of tips and videos" that showed Paul was "a participant in the riot".
The statement said: "Our investigation has revealed that Paul was present after the protest was declared an unlawful assembly and the rioters were ordered to leave the area by the police. Paul also unlawfully entered and remained inside of the mall when it was closed."
While it's not known if Paul looted at the scene, his admission that he was present could be used as evidence against him in court.
He wrote: "To be absolutely clear, neither I nor anyone in our group was engaged in any looting or vandalism. 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 gassed and forced to keep moving on foot. We filmed everything we saw in an effort to share our experience and bring more attention to the anger felt in every neighborhood we traveled through; we were strictly documenting, not engaging."
Paul said he does not condone "violence, looting or breaking the law."
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