Content creator Yousef Saleh Erakat, who goes by Fousey, found himself in a scary situation this week (July 9) as he suddenly became surrounded by police while livestreaming in a parking lot.
Much to his surprise, and that of the people watching him, the Kick streamer and YouTuber was swatted.
This is where a hoax call is made to emergency services in an attempt to bring about the dispatch of a large number of armed officers to a certain address. Multiple content creators have been swatted over the last few years.
During his stream, a crowd of police officers becomes visible behind Fousey’s car. Once he notices, after he has started his car and is ready to leave, he flinches and rolls his window down after they can be heard shouting at him.
Fousey gets swatted while at a parking lot pic.twitter.com/tfP4tztbfl
— FearBuck (@FearedBuck) July 9, 2024
The officers can even be heard threatening to shoot him if he didn’t comply, with one saying: “Put your hands up. If you reach for anything you will be shot.”
The streamer did as instructed and declared that he had a dog sitting on his lap while sticking his hands out of the window to show he wasn’t holding anything.
After the police examined the vehicle and spoke with the YouTuber, he was free to go back to his livestream.
Streamers keep getting swatted as viewers make hoax calls
The 34-year-old has been swatted multiple times before during his 24/7 stream marathon. He was also asked to leave a restaurant after a bomb threat was called in from a hoax caller.
He isn’t the only one to be put through this nerve-racking experience, as other content creators have become accustomed to it too.
Beauty YouTuber James Charles said he became a victim of swatting at just 19 years old when police came to his house after a call about ‘bombs and hostages.’
In a storytime TikTok, which was posted in September of 2022, Charles explains how it was ‘traumatic.’
In August 2022, the YouTuber and streamer IShowSpeed was handcuffed by police officers after his home was swatted during a livestream. Just a day before, the Twitch streamer Adin Ross encountered a similar experience.
Featured Image: Via Flickr
