Studio City man pleads not guilty to shooting fireworks from helicopter in El Mirage dry lakebed
A Studio City man pleaded not guilty Tuesday to a federal charge alleging the use of fireworks shot from an in-flight helicopter at a Lamborghini while filming a video posted on YouTube last July 4.
Suk Min Choi, 24, known as Alex Choi, was arraigned on one count of causing the placement of an explosive or incendiary device on an aircraft, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
A tentative trial date of Aug. 13 was scheduled before U.S. District Judge André Birotte Jr. in downtown Los Angeles.
Choi is free on a $50,000 bond. His attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
According to an affidavit filed with the complaint, last July 4, Choi — a social media “influencer” — posted on his YouTube channel an 11-minute video titled, “Destroying a Lamborghini with Fireworks.”
In the video, Choi allegedly presses a “fire missiles” button while two women are in a helicopter, shooting fireworks at the speeding sports car. Law enforcement personnel believe the stunt was shot on federal land in the El Mirage Dry Lakebed in San Bernardino County.
After shooting what appears to be a live-action version of a scene from a fictional video game, the clip transitions to a behind-the-scenes look at how Choi shot the first third of the stunt. During this portion of the video, Choi allegedly makes various references to himself coordinating the shoot.
In the video, Choi thanks a camera company for “being a part of my crazy stupid ideas.” He also allegedly said that the group that helped make the video messed up at one point “because I forgot to tell my friend how to use a torch,” according to papers filed in Los Angeles federal court.
Finally, as noted in the affidavit, during the video it appears Choi made the decision to end the shoot when someone asked if they would film again, stating, “No, that’s it. We’re out of fireworks, right?”
In other parts of the video, Choi is seen next to the helicopter, holding what appears to be a firework, according to the affidavit.
Authorities believe that Choi committed the offense sometime in June 2023, that he did not have a permit to film a shoot using fireworks on a helicopter, and that he purchased the fireworks in Nevada because they were illegal in California, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
As of May 28, the video is no longer available on Choi’s YouTube channel, but other videos containing footage from Choi’s film can be viewed on other YouTube channels and social media accounts, according to the complaint.
Choi boasts 1.2 million followers on his Instagram account.