This is the shocking moment a 21-year-old YouTuber prankster’s stunt went seriously wrong when a delivery man he was targeting pulled a gun and shot him in the chest.
The video shows 21-year-old Tanner Cook, who runs the YouTube channel Classified Goons, harassing Alan Colie while he was picking up a food order at the Dulles Town Center mall in Sterling, Virginia on April 2.
Cook can be seen following Colie around the mall, shoving his phone in his face as it plays the bizarre phrase “Hey dips**t, stop thinking about my twinkle” multiple times using a Google Translate app.
Colie backs away from Cook and tells him to stop three times before trying to punch the phone out of his face as the YouTuber continues to come at him.
It was at this point that Colie’s stunt went seriously wrong when the delivery person pulled out a gun and shot the YouTuber in the lower left chest.
Video shows 21-year-old Tanner Cook, who runs the YouTube channel Classified Goons, harassing Alan Colie as he picked up a food order at the Dulles Town Center mall in Sterling, Virginia on April 2.
It was at this point that Colie’s stunt went seriously wrong when the delivery person pulled out a gun and shot the YouTuber in the lower left chest.
Cook (photo in hospital) had to fight for his life after the shooting and spent several days in intensive care after the bullet pierced his stomach and liver
The shooting caused panic as shoppers fled what they feared was a mass shooting when police officers pinned Colie to the ground and arrested him. He was charged with aggravated malicious wounding, using a firearm in the commission of a crime and discharging a firearm into a building.
But last week Colie, who has a permit to carry a concealed weapon, was found not guilty of aggravated malicious wounding in the shooting after saying he acted in self-defense.
Colie’s attorney, Adam Pouilliard, said his client felt threatened by the 6-foot-2 Cook during the confrontation, which was intended to provoke a reaction and draw viewers to his YouTube channel.
The attorney said Cook is “trying to confuse people by posting videos. He’s not afraid of scaring people. He keeps doing this.”
Cook was left fighting for his life after the shooting, spending several days in intensive care after the bullet pierced his stomach and liver.
Prosecutor Eden Holmes had said during the trial that the facts did not support a self-defense argument.
The law requires that Colie reasonably fear that he was in imminent danger of bodily harm, and that he not use more force than necessary. She said Cook’s joke was bizarre but not threatening.
Colie was pushed to the ground and arrested. He was charged with aggravated malicious wounding, using a firearm in the commission of a crime and discharging a firearm into a building.
The shooting caused panic as shoppers fled what they feared was a mass shooting, while police officers pinned Colie to the ground and arrested him.
Delivery man Alan Colie, 31, (pictured) was acquitted in the shooting of a YouTube prankster who followed him through a Virginia mall with a camera close to his face to provoke a reaction
“They played a funny phrase on a phone,” she said. ‘How could the suspect have established that he was reasonably afraid of imminent physical harm?’
Colie testified in his own defense about the fear Cook’s joke evoked.
Pouilliard said during closing arguments that Colie is aware of the dangers delivery drivers may face when interacting with the public, and that he is licensed to carry a concealed weapon.
Despite the events leading up to the shooting, Cook’s father, Jeramy Cook, said the incident was shocking and unnecessary.
“They were making a video at the mall and trying to have fun with people, but this guy wasn’t having fun,” he said.
“There was a phone around him and they were interviewing him or talking to him, and he didn’t like it and he pulled his gun and shot my son.”
Jeramy Cook emphasized that his family’s faith in God would help them through this difficult time.
“We need recovery, we need healing, and we need to come together.”
“I pray for this young man and pray that he finds God in this. I believe God saved our son’s life, and he could have easily died, but that is not the outcome. God has plans for my son,” he said, noting he harbors no ill will toward Colie.
The jury was initially “divided as to whether the suspect acted in self-defense,” but ultimately delivered a verdict at the end of the day. Collie was found not guilty of serious wounding with intent, but was convicted on a lesser firearm count.
Cook, pictured in one of his prank videos, insisted that the incident will not stop him from continuing to make videos and has since posted three videos
Colie’s attorney, Adam Pouilliard, said the firearms conviction is against the law, given Colie’s acquittal on self-defense grounds.
He asked the judge to annul the conviction. A judge will hear arguments on the issue at a hearing next month.
Colie, who has been in custody since his arrest in April, will remain in custody.
Cook’s channel ‘Classified Goons’, which has more than 50,000 subscribers, is known for his controversial stunts, such as pretending to throw up on Uber drivers and following unsuspecting customers through department stores.
Speaking from his hospital bed at the time of the incident, he said he was just joking with Colie.
“I was making a joke and a simple joke, and this guy didn’t take it very well,” he said WUSA9.
Cook also emphasized that the incident will not stop him from continuing to make videos and has since posted three videos.
During a preliminary hearing, sheriff’s deputies said they were well aware of Cook and had received calls about previous stunts.
Cook said he continues to make the videos, which earn him between $2,000 and $3,000 a month.