YouTuber Faked an Active Shooter Report at Disney
On Tuesday, an Arizona man was sentenced to three days in jail following an incident in which Florida deputies say he falsely told guests at a Walt Disney World resort there was an active shooter on the property. According to the police report, he made a "significant disturbance," which forced the property to go on lockdown.
Orlando TV WKMG News 6 reported that authorities determined 22-year-old Dillion Burch was allegedly lying to guests at the Contemporary Resort so he could tape their panicked reactions for his YouTube channel (though a search of his name on YouTube only currently leads to workout routines by another YouTuber). Per ClickOrlando:
"Guests told authorities they had been approached by a man who was intoxicated and was saying there was an active shooter or an emergency, and that they needed to evacuate. He later admitted that it was a joke, the witnesses told authorities, and that he was doing an experiment for his YouTube channel."
(People magazine adds that Burch was "highly intoxicated, citing additional police affidavits.) When notified, the manager of the hotel approached Burch and asked him why he was claiming there was an active shooter. Burch allegedly told the manager he was working on a school project.
After the manager called the police, Burch left the hotel and hid in a row bushes outside - where security later found him. Police arrested Burch there, and he he was charged with disturbing the peace and disorderly intoxication. He was also kicked out of his hotel room and is now banned from Walt Disney World properties.
WKMG reports Burch appeared in court on Tuesday and pleaded "no contest" to the charges. Despite his plead, the judge sentenced him to jail for three days. However, Burch is reportedly out on bond.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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