Alleged video director 'Alex Choi' arrested after helicopter firework on Lamborghini in San Bernardino County

EL MIRAGE, Calif. (KABC) — Federal authorities announced Thursday the arrest of a Studio City man accused of making a YouTube video in which two women in a helicopter repeatedly shot fireworks at a Lamborghini sports car in a remote area of San Bernardino County.

Suk Min Choi, 24, aka “Alex Choi,” was charged with one count of placing an explosive or incendiary device on an aircraft, the Justice Department said in a news release. Choi was taken into custody Wednesday and is expected to make his first court appearance Thursday afternoon in downtown Los Angeles.

According to a federal complaint, on July 4, 2023, Choi posted a video on his YouTube channel 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 a Lamborghini sports car that is traveling at high speed,” an affidavit states. “Law enforcement believes the video was filmed on the El Mirage dry lake bed.”

After filming an apparently live version of a fictional video game scene, the video cuts to a behind-the-scenes look at how Choi shot the first third of the video, prosecutors said.

“During this portion of the video, Choi allegedly made various references to himself coordinating the shooting,” the Justice Department said. “Specifically, the video states that Choi directed it. In the video, Choi thanks a camera company for 'being a part of my crazy, stupid ideas.' He also reportedly said in the video that the group that helped make the making of the video “(expletive) stood up” at one point “because I forgot to tell my friend how to use a torch.”

During the video, prosecutors say, Choi made the decision to stop filming when someone asked him if he was going to film again, saying, “No, that's it. We don't have any more fireworks, right?”

Choi is seen next to the helicopter in other parts of the video, the Justice Department statement said, holding what appears to be fireworks.

Authorities believe the video was recorded in June 2023, that Choi did not have permission 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 criminal complaint.

If convicted, Choi faces a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison, prosecutors said. His arraignment is expected in the coming weeks.