The alleged director of the video, Alex Choi, was arrested after fireworks were fired from a helicopter at a Lamborghini in San Bernardino County

EL MIRAGE, Calif. (KABC) – On Thursday, federal authorities announced the arrest of a Studio City man accused of directing a YouTube video showing two women in a helicopter repeatedly firing fireworks at a Lamborghini sports car in a remote area of ​​San Bernardino County.

Suk Min Choi, 24, alias “Alex Choi,” was charged with causing the placement of an explosive or incendiary device on board an aircraft, the Justice Department said in a news release. Choi was taken into custody Wednesday and is scheduled to make an initial court appearance in downtown Los Angeles on Thursday afternoon.

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 sit in a helicopter and fire fireworks at a speeding Lamborghini sports car,” an affidavit states. “Law enforcement believes the video was filmed on the dry lake bed of El Mirage.”

After shooting an apparent live-action version of a fictionalized video game scene, the video switches to a behind-the-scenes look at how Choi shot the first third of the video, prosecutors said.

“In this portion of the video, Choi allegedly mentions multiple times that he coordinated the filming,” the Justice Department said. “The video specifically states that Choi directed the video. In the video, Choi thanks a camera company for ‘being part of my crazy, stupid ideas.’ He also allegedly said in the video that the group that helped create the video ‘exaggerated (expletive)’ at one point ‘because I forgot to explain to my friend how to use a flashlight.'”

During the video, prosecutors said, Choi apparently made the decision to stop filming when someone asked if they would film again, saying, “No, that’s it. We’re out of fireworks, right?”

In other parts of the video, Choi can be seen standing next to the helicopter, the Justice Department statement said, holding what looks like a firework.

According to the criminal complaint, authorities believe the video was recorded in June 2023, that Choi did not have a permit to film a fireworks shoot from a helicopter, and that he purchased the fireworks in Nevada because they were illegal in California.

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