YouTube star IShowSpeed was swatted and handcuffed during his stream on Aug. 8. A group of Cincinnati Police Officers surrounded him outside a building after someone falsely reported him as a threat.
IShowSpeed looked visibly confused and distressed throughout the incident. “Oh my god, bro! I swear I didn’t do anything” he said in disbelief. His cameraman filmed the whole exchange.
He kept repeating: “I didn’t do shit. Oh my god!”
A police officer approached the cameraman and asked him to stop filming while they tried to figure things out. IShowSpeed could be heard trying to explain his streaming situation in the background.
Eventually, until the cameraman was asked to turn the camera off, and that’s where things ended. IShowSpeed hasn’t commented yet, but Dot Esports can confirm he is okay.
The incident happened less than 24 hours after Twitch star Adin Ross was swatted on stream. He described it as a “very, very scary ” experience, and after checking in on IShowSpeed, said we live in a “sick world.”
It’s a serious issue affecting many other streamers too. Recent examples include Phillip “ImperialHal” Dosen and Nicholas “NICKMERCS” Kolcheff. IShowSpeed was the next in line to fall victim to the heinous streaming prank.
Maybe his past controversies and short-term ban didn’t sit well with the culprit, or they’re envious about his growth. Maybe there was no reason behind it at all, and they thought it’d be funny.
Either way, swatting is a serious offense with legal consequences. Not only does it waste time and resources, it also puts the Twitch or YouTube streamers’ lives in danger.
