A man has been found not guilty of aggravated malicious wounding after shooting a YouTuber who was attempting to prank him in a Virginia mall.

Alan Colie, 31, shot YouTube prankster Tanner Cook, 21, in a crowded shopping center back on April 2 at Dulles Town Center, west of Washington DC.

Police subdue Colie. Credit: Virginia State Police / X

Cook - the mastermind behind the YouTube channel Classified Goons - often shares prank videos in which he provokes reactions from the public. On this occasion, Cook had approached Colie in the food court of the Dulles Towne Center mall. As Colie was ordering his meal, Cook started to play audio from his phone, which blasted phrases like, "Hey dips**t, quit thinking about my twinkle" via the Google Translate app.

Colie attempted to move away from Cook and asked him three times to stop. After failing to knock Cook's phone out of his hands, Colie pulled out a gun and shot the prankster in the lower chest, Sky News reports.

The confrontation - which was captured on video - lasted less than 30 seconds and depicted the 6ft 5" Cook appearing to harass Colie - a notion the jury ultimately sided with. Colie's defense attorney, Adam Pouilliard, said his client felt menaced by Cook and that the confrontation was designed to ignite a confrontation in an effort to attract viewers.

"Mr. Cook is trying to confuse people to post videos. He's not worried that he's scaring people. He keeps doing this," Pouilliard said in his closing statements.

Prosecutor Eden Homes argued that the prank - albeit bizarre - was not threatening, undermining the self-defense claim by Colie. She questioned: "They were playing a silly phrase on a phone. How could the defendant have found that he was reasonably in fear of imminent bodily harm?"

Following the shooting, mass panic spread throughout the mall and the police quickly responded.

After footage of the incident was shared on social media, many people voiced support for Colie.

"These people can’t just run around and antagonize folks like that and expect not to get shot," wrote one X (formerly known as Twitter) user. A second added: "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."

Despite being acquitted of aggravated malicious wounding, the jury was split on two lesser firearms charges - convicting him on one and acquitting him on the other.

Mr. Pouilliard argued that the conviction on the firearms charge is incongruent with the law, given Colie’s acquittal on self-defense grounds, and has requested the judge to consider this condition. The case continues to unravel as a judge is set to hear arguments on this contentious issue next month.

Cook has stated that he will continue to film pranks for his 50,000 YouTube subscribers, per NBC4.

Featured image credit: Virginia State Police / X

A delivery driver has received his sentence for the shooting of a YouTube prankster, Tanner Cook, who had followed him around a mall food court earlier this year.

Loudoun County Circuit Court Judge Matthew Snow sentenced Colie on Thursday, ruling on a case that had captured public attention.

The incident in question occurred on April 2 at the food court in Dulles Town Center, Virginia, and led to panic among shoppers who feared a mass shooting was unfolding. Cook, 21, who operates the Classified Goons YouTube channel, recorded the encounter with Alan W. Colie - a 31-year-old DoorDash driver - which quickly went viral.

The video, captured by Cook's associates, depicted the brief but startling interaction between Cook and Colie.

In the footage, Cook approached Colie, who was picking up a DoorDash order. Cook, standing at 6-foot-5, loomed over Colie while holding a cellphone just inches from his face. Through a Google Translate app, the phone repeatedly broadcasted the phrase, "Hey dips***, quit thinking about my twinkle."

Despite Colie's requests for Cook to stop and attempts to back away, Cook continued to advance. Colie, in an apparent act of self-defense, attempted to knock the phone away before pulling out a gun and shooting Cook in the lower left chest.

During the trial, Colie pleaded not guilty to all charges.

In September, Colie had been acquitted of aggravated malicious wounding, but the jury was divided on two lesser firearms charges. His attorney, Adam Pouilliard, argued the inconsistency of the conviction given the acquittal on self-defense grounds, per NBC News.

Ultimately, the jury convicted him of discharging a firearm within a building and acquitted him of the charge of using a firearm in the commission of a felony.

Credit: Loudoun County Sheriff's Office

In an interview with WUSA9 following the acquittal, Cook said that he plans to continue releasing videos to his channel. When asked if he was disappointed in the jury's decision to acquit Colie, he said: "I really don't care, it is what it is. It's God's plan, at the end of the day." He also stated that he earns between $2,000 and $3,000 per month from his channel.

Cook’s channel currently boasts over 60,000 subscribers, and he has continued to share controversial prank videos to his channel since the shooting, including one where he gets detained by officers at an airport.

Judge Snow's sentencing took into account Colie's time served in custody since his arrest in April. His concealed carry permit will also be revoked.

He did face a potential maximum prison sentence of five years.

Featured image credit: Loudoun County Sheriff's Office

A YouTuber from Virginia has claimed that he sustained gunshot wounds after he tried to prank a man at a local mall.

YouTuber Tanner Cook - whose account has 41,000 subscribers - regularly posts videos of himself pranking strangers for the channel Classified Goons.

Previous clips have shown him accusing people of stealing, taking customers' groceries, going behind the counter at a fast-food restaurant, and pretending to vomit on Uber drivers. In some cases, his victims became agitated and even called the cops.

On Sunday (April 2), Cook's prank took an almost deadly turn after a man allegedly pulled out a semi-automatic pistol and shot him after he and his friends played a practical joke near the Cheesecake Factory in Dulles Town Center Mall's food court.

Investigators allege that the man - identified as 31-year-old Alan Colie - shot the 21-year-old in the stomach and liver. Cook survived the injury and had to undergo surgery after medics brought him to a hospital in critical condition.

Speaking to WUSA from his hospital bed, the YouTuber said: "I was playing a prank and a simple practical joke, and this guy didn't take it very well," adding, "He didn't say anything to me."

According to the outlet, Cook's friend was filming the prank. His family has said that the footage is included in the evidence for the police.

His father, Jeramy Cook, spoke about the devastating incident, telling the news station: "They were making a video at the mall and trying to have fun with people and this guy wasn't having fun. There was a phone that was around him and they were interviewing or talking to him, and he didn't like it and he pulled out his gun and shot my son."

"We need restoration, we need healing, and we need to come together," Jeramy continued. "I pray for this young man and pray that he finds God in this. I believe that God saved our son's life, and he could have easily died but that's not the outcome. God has plans for my son."

His grandfather, Mike Cook, also shared his thoughts and revealed that the family refuses to be afraid: "It's obviously been unnerving and some fear running in and out, but we live on faith and not fear."

Cook was filming a prank video at Dulles Town Center before he was allegedly shot. Credit: William Graham / Alamy

Per People, police have disclosed that the suspect was arrested and charged with "aggravated malicious wounding, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and discharging a firearm within a building," adding, "The shooting resulted from an interaction between the victim and Colie in the food court."

Colie is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday (April 5). He has been assigned a public defender.

Despite his injuries, the YouTuber told WUSA that he intends to continue making prank videos.

Featured image credit: PSL Images / Alamy

A late-night TikTok prank ended in tragedy when a Virginia homeowner allegedly opened fire and killed an 18-year-old.A teen was fatally shot while filming a TikTok prank video at 3 AM. Credit: Michael M. Santiago / GettyThe fatal incident took place around 3AM on Saturday (May 3), the Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office in Virginia disclosed.Deputies responded to a call reporting a suspected residential burglary in progress near McKenzie Lane. When they arrived, they discovered two teens had been shot, per court records reviewed by The Washington Post.Michael Bosworth Jr. was rushed to a local hospital, where he later died. A second teenager, a juvenile, was treated for minor injuries and released. A third teen, also a juvenile, was unharmed.Authorities later revealed the shooting stemmed from a social media stunt gone wrong. The three teens had been filming a “ding-dong ditch” prank for TikTok - knocking on doors and running away before the homeowners could respond.“The juvenile stated that they had run to hide. The juvenile said as they were running from a residence, he and his friends were shot at,” read a search warrant affidavit obtained by NBC News.Another teen told police he had video evidence on his phone of them performing the prank earlier that evening.Following the investigation, the Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office charged the homeowner, 27-year-old Tyler Chase Butler, with second-degree murder, malicious wounding, and two counts of using a firearm in the commission of a felony.He’s currently being held at Rappahannock Regional Jail with no bond. Butler reportedly told investigators he believed the teens were attempting to break into his home.Tyler Chase Butler was arrested and charged with the death of the 18-year-old. Credit: Spotsylvania County Sheriff.Bosworth was a senior at Massaponax High School. The shooting occurred just hours before his prom. His girlfriend, who attended alone, wore the pink bow tie he had planned to wear around her arm.In a heartbreaking Instagram tribute shared with The Washington Post, she wrote: “You were the best boyfriend, person, brother, son, and friend that anyone could ask for...I’m so glad I got to share my life with you and learn to love you and cheer you on through everything because you are one of a kind.”The Spotsylvania school district issued a statement offering support to students and staff in the aftermath of the tragedy.“School counselors will be on site at the event to provide support as needed. Also, when students return to school on Monday, our counseling staff and additional division support team members will be available to provide support to our students and staff as needed,” the statement read, cited by The Mirror.“If your child needs support, please contact the school so that we can provide assistance. Our thoughts are with the family during this difficult time," they added.Featured image credit: Michael M. Santiago / Getty

The rise of YouTube has gone hand-in-hand with the rise of pranksters. Whether it's small things such as simply tickling people in public or couples doing prank wars on one another, people can't get enough of pranksters and their videos. However, sometimes, these things can go too far - and this story is just one of a million examples of a prank gone wrong.

There are several times YouTube pranks go wrong, such as when a prankster decided to throw water in the faces of members of the public, or when one woman decided to shoot her boyfriend with a gun, hoping that the bullet would become lodged in an encyclopedia that he had resting on his chest. Sadly for them, that prank had fatal consequences with the man dying shortly after the gunshot went through. Now, however, we have a prank that went wrong in a different way.

A Spanish prankster who decided to kung-fu kick a woman from behind for the sake a viral video has ended up having to pay over $73,000 in compensation after the incident was reported to the police and ended up going to court.

Mario Garcia Montealegre was filmed on his YouTube channel approaching the innocent victim in The Diagonal Mar area of Barcelona as she was stood at the side of the road with her unsuspecting friend.

Montealegre, 24, can be seen counting down with his fingers before he decides to run and kick the woman in the back of the leg. Such was the force of the kick, the 48-year-old woman ends up twisting awkwardly and collapsing to the ground in pain.

The woman can be heard shrieking in agony before she looks back at the giggling vlogger and shouts: "a**hole!"

After the incident, which took place in February 2015, Catalan police's Mossos d'Esquadra released footage of the video alongside a message, which read: "Help us to catch this person who thinks it is okay to attack innocent people."

After the video went viral on social media, with him receiving a lot of scorn for his actions, Montealegre decided to turn himself into the police station.

Now, however, he has agreed to pay the unnamed woman €60,000 in compensation for the assault. Despite the fact that prosecutors had originally requested a total of €45,000 in damages, the defendant wanted to pay more in order to demonstrate his willingness to make amends for his actions.

[[youtubewidget||https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1S1i8Hx09o]]

It's believed that following the prank, the woman in question ended up suffering from a sprained ankle, as well as suffering from minor injuries to her left knee and wrist and cervical pain. On top of this, she also had to take 75 days sick leave in order to get over her injuries and the ordeal itself.

It's a pretty cowardly and callous act from Montealegre, who rightly had to pay up for his actions. Still, whatever way you look at it, €60,000 is a hefty price to pay for a prank that you played on a Saturday night out.