Youtubers Charged With Felony Swatting In Fake OC Bank Robberies

IRVINE, CA — Youtubers and serial pranksters Alan and Alex Stokes were both charged with real felonies this week for a fake prank against the Irvine Police and an Uber Driver last year, according to the Orange County district attorney's office.

With 4.1 million subscribers, the Stokes brothers' audience regularly sees them prank the unsuspecting friends or strangers. They have even posted footage where they claim to have been arrested or have arrived at emergency rooms with fake injuries.

The Orange County District Attorney's Office is not laughing at the jokesters ill attempt at humor from last fall. In October of 2019, the duo had the idea to pose as carjacking bank robbers around Irvine. This stunt took things too far, District Attorney Todd Spitzer says.

On that day, twin brothers, Alan and Alex Stokes, 23, of Irvine, dressed in all black, ski masks and carried duffel bags full of cash and carried out a pretend-bank robbery prank on an unsuspecting Uber driver not once, but twice in one day, a spokesperson from the District Attorney's Office says.

They then allegedly attempted to carjack the Uber driver while their videographer filmed the incident.

TMZ released the video of the incident.

Irvine police arrived after a bystander called 911 for the apparent robbery and carjacking, according to the OCDA's office. Irvine police ordered the driver out at gunpoint and let him go when they determined he was not involved.

The video shows Irvine police explaining the error of their ways, and that "people could get really hurt," based upon their prankish actions.

Four hours later, the Stokes brothers did it again.

Calls rang out to the Irvine Police Department, saying a bank robbery was taking place at the University of Irvine campus.

"These were not pranks," said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer. "These are crimes that could have resulted in someone getting seriously injured or even killed. Law enforcement officers are sworn to protect the public, and when someone calls 911 to report an active bank robbery, they are going to respond to protect lives. Instead, what they found was some kind of twisted attempt to gain more popularity on the internet by unnecessarily putting members of the public and police officers in danger."

Deputy District Attorney Laila Nikaien of Special Prosecutions is prosecuting this case.

Alan and Alex Stokes, 23 of Irvine, have been each charged with one felony count of false imprisonment caused by violence, menace, fraud, or deceit, as well as one misdemeanor count of falsely reporting an emergency in connection with the October pranks.

They each face a maximum sentence of four years in state prison if convicted on all counts.