A delivery driver has been found not guilty in the shooting of a YouTube prankster who had followed him around a mall food court. Alan Colie was acquitted of aggravated malicious wounding in the shooting of Tanner Cook, who runs the “Classified Goons” YouTube channel. The incident, which took place in April, caused panic among shoppers, who feared a mass shooting. Colie pleaded not guilty, claiming self-defense. The jury was split on two lesser firearms counts and convicted him on one and acquitted him on the other.
During the trial, jurors viewed a video capturing the confrontation between Cook and Colie, which lasted less than 30 seconds. Cook approached Colie, holding a cellphone close to his face, causing Colie to feel menaced. Despite Colie’s attempts to back away and repeatedly telling Cook to stop, the situation escalated, leading Colie to shoot Cook in the lower left chest. Prosecutors argued that Cook’s prank was bizarre but not threatening, and the facts did not support Colie’s self-defense claim. The charges against Colie required the jury to find that he acted with malice.
Cook’s YouTube channel specializes in off-putting stunts, such as pretending to vomit on Uber drivers and following unsuspecting customers through department stores. Despite the incident, Cook stated that he will continue making videos, which earn him a monthly income of $2,000 to $3,000. Colie’s defense attorney argued that the conviction on the firearms charge was inconsistent with the law, considering Colie’s acquittal on self-defense grounds. The judge will hear arguments on the issue at a hearing next month, while Colie remains incarcerated.