In the past few months, "Mannequin Challenge" videos featuring people frozen in place mid-activity have become quite popular. Some feature impressive athleticism...
This has got to be the best #mannequinchallenge yet! #gocards pic.twitter.com/p16DAvolF5
— Jeremy Seiver (@JeremySeiver) November 6, 2016
...others are just plain adorable...
...and now at least one has resulted in the arrest of two people on drug and firearms charges.
A shootout-themed mannequin challenge video filmed in Huntsville, AL went viral over the past few weeks, amassing over four million views on Facebook. The video (which is actually pretty well done and is decently creative, all things considered) shows about 22 men wielding a variety of firearms in a frozen pose imitating a shootout. There's just one problem: at least two people in the video are felons and cannot legally own firearms, and oh yes, there was also a bunch of drugs at the house.
Here's the video: (content warning)
After the video went viral, police investigated the house to make sure that all of the guns were properly registered and permitted. As it turns out, they weren't.
From the Washington Post:
“At 5:02 this morning,” Capt. Mike Salomonsky said in a news conference on Tuesday. “The Madison County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team, the City of Huntsville Police Department SWAT team, and also ATF were present when we executed the search warrant at that residence.”
[...]
Police confiscated two handguns, one assault rifle and a single-barrel shotgun, a tactical vest and many rounds of ammunition and multiple magazines to boot, Salomonsky said.
Along with that, they found several bags of marijuana, packed for resale, and a grinder, which is used to grind the plant’s thick buds into a powdery substance for individual consumption.
Two men were arrested and now face drug and firearm charges.
According to the police, several of the men in the video "may be" convicted felons and therefore cannot own firearms. Identification is pending and more charges may be filed once identities are confirmed.
A fair warning to all potential mannequin challenge videos: perhaps be 100 percent sure that what you're filming isn't illegal before it goes viral.
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