A shocking video shows a popular Black streamer getting handcuffed and swatted during a livestream.
IShowSpeed, who has over 10 million subscribers on YouTube, was handcuffed by Cincinnati police officers in a viral video posted to his channel on Monday (August 8).
"Oh, they swatted you, bro, they swatted you," the person recording can be heard saying while the 17-year-old streamer is surrounded by cops.
“I didn’t know, bro,” Speed says. "Oh my god, bro. I swear I didn’t do anything. I didn’t do s**t."
As authorities start questioning the YouTuber, one of the cops comes over and escorts the cameraman away from the scene. The clip shows the officer placing his hand over the camera lens. There's a short conversation before the stream is shut down.
Swatting is when someone calls 911 with a fake report in an attempt to send authorities to another person's home. These situations put victims in real danger and have even led to deaths. A 28-year-old man died from a false report about a hostage situation at his home in 2017. The swatter was sentenced to 20 years in prison over a year later.
Some online onlookers believe the swatting was staged or fake due to a clip of IShowSpeed calling 911 before the incident. In the clip, Speed can be heard dialing the number, and the person on the line simply responds, "Yo," indicating that it wasn't a real dispatcher. Others say the incidents are unrelated and coincidental at best.
Adin Ross, a popular Twitch streamer who was also swatted on Sunday (August 7), confirmed Speed was swatted and is doing "okay" in a video posted to Twitter.
“It’s a sick, cruel world we live in, man," he says, talking about both swatting incidents. "I just got off the phone with Speed, and he’s doing good… It’s sickening.”
IShowSpeed, whose real name is Darren Watkins Jr., rapidly gained viewers within a few years thanks to his off-the-wall hijinks and personality during gaming streams. He recently went viral for lighting up fireworks in his bedroom, prompting a call to his local fire department.
Speed himself has yet to comment on the situation.
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