Tanner Cook, the prankster behind the YouTube account Classified Goons, found himself in intensive care after he was shot by the man he was attempting to prank on Sunday, according to a report by Insider.
The 21-year-old is one of the multitudes of YouTubers amassing a following from playing practical jokes on unsuspecting strangers. His account currently has over 41,000 subscribers and 37 videos from the last 10 months.
His acts range from pretending to pee in a store, asking store workers to help him steal, to accusing people of stealing. Understandably, Cook has had many of his victims get aggressive before, with at least one calling the police.
It’s unclear what kind of prank he was playing on 31-year-old Alan Colie near the Cheesecake Factory in Dulles Town Center’s food court but Colie got mad enough that he allegedly pulled a semi-automatic pistol on Cook and shot him in the abdomen.
Colie is currently being held without bail at the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center in Virginia on charges of aggravated malicious wounding, shooting in the commission of a felony, and discharging firearms within an occupied building. His preliminary hearing isn’t until May.
Cook, who got hit in the stomach and liver and had his gallbladder removed in surgery, remains in the hospital but is expected to recover. He’s already told local TV station WUSA that he intends to keep making prank videos.
The prankster’s father, meanwhile, thinks that the issue is that too many people are being offended.
“So what happened was he got offended and decided to shoot my son because he was offended at what my son was doing. And so, I just think there’s a greater issue here with too many people being offended, rightly or wrongly, and then going out of control,” he said.
Information for this briefing was found via Twitter, Insider, and the sources and companies mentioned. The author has no securities or affiliations related to the organizations discussed. Not a recommendation to buy or sell. Always do additional research and consult a professional before purchasing a security. The author holds no licenses.
One Response
Some of the pranksters go way to far. Actually assaulting their victims for a laugh. It’s rather stupid to do.