Charge dropped for Studio City man accused of shooting helicopter fireworks in San Bernardino County
A federal charge has been dropped against a Studio City man accused of making a video without permits in which fireworks were shot from an in-flight helicopter at a Lamborghini in a dry lakebed, according to court papers obtained Monday.
Suk Min Choi, 25, known as Alex Choi, pleaded not guilty one year ago to causing the placement of an explosive or incendiary device on an aircraft.
The charge was permanently dismissed earlier this month by U.S. District Judge André Birotte Jr. after the U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services Office confirmed that Choi had complied with all conditions of his pretrial diversion agreement, according to papers filed in Los Angeles federal court.
A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office said the office had no comment.
On July 4, 2023, the social media influencer posted on his YouTube channel an 11-minute video titled, “Destroying a Lamborghini with Fireworks.”
In the video, Choi supposedly 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 was supposed to have coordinated the stunt.
Finally, according to an affidavit, during the video it appears Choi made the decision to end the shoot when someone asks 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 Choi shot the clip 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.
Choi boasts 1.5 million followers on his Instagram account.