YouTuber faces federal charges over alleged helicopter stunt

YouTube personality Suk Min Choi, also known as Alex Choi, is facing federal charges after a video he allegedly made was released showing fireworks being launched from a helicopter at a Lamborghini in a Southern California desert.

Authorities say Choi, 24, is accused of placing an explosive or incendiary device aboard an airplane and, if convicted, faces up to 10 years in federal prison.

According to AP, prosecutors say Choi's video, titled “Destroying a Lamborghini with Fireworks,” posted last July, was filmed without proper permits or FAA approval.

Although the video has since been deleted, authorities said it showed Choi pressing a “fire missiles” button while two women aboard a helicopter shot fireworks at the sports car as she crossed a desert landscape.

Choi has gained more than a million followers on Instagram and some 924,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel by filming videos of what he calls the “greatest automotive shenanigans.”

Authorities said Choi appeared in court Thursday, where a federal magistrate judge granted him release on $50,000 bail. His arraignment is scheduled for July 2.