YouTuber arrested on federal charges for his Lamborghini helicopter firework stunt

A YouTuber was arrested after posting a video showing two people in a helicopter shooting fireworks at a Lamborghini. On Thursday, the US Department of Justice charged Suk Min Choi — known as Alex Choi on YouTube — for allegedly breaking the law against having an explosive or incendiary device on an aircraft.

The now-deleted video, titled “Destroying a Lamborghini With Fireworks,” was posted on July 4th, 2023. Choi, who has more than 924,000 YouTube subscribers, is shown driving the Lamborghini as two women begin shooting fireworks in the direction of the car. Law enforcement officials believe Choi filmed the video at El Mirage, a dry lake bed in San Bernardino County, California.

The Federal Aviation Administration began investigating the video in December, according to an affidavit filed with the Central District of California. The affidavit cites an email from what appears to be Choi’s account, saying he wants to record a video of an “attack helicopter shooting missiles (mortar style fireworks) at the car, while the car is trying to run away and dodge the missiles using flares (roman candle fireworks attached to the back of the car).”

As noted in the affidavit, the federal government alleges that Choi didn’t obtain permits from the Bureau of Land Management or the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives required to film the video. Choi was released on a $50,000 bond on Thursday, with his arraignment set for July 2nd. He faces up to 10 years in federal prison.