- A TikTok video of YouTuber WhistlinDiesel appearing to get arrested has gone viral.
- He, along with two fellow influencers, have implied they were arrested for filming a video.
Three racing enthusiasts and influencers have been posting a series of photos and videos that appear to show them being arrested, sparking confusion and skepticism among followers.
On October 15, a content creator called Justin Norton posted a photo of himself on Instagram appearing to be handcuffed, writing, "A night out with @whistlindiesel landed me in handcuffs." WhistlinDiesel in a popular motor-vehicle YouTuber with more than 2.3 million followers whose real name is Cody Detwiler.
That same day, Norton posted a video captioned, "Description of my week with @whistlindiesel," which showed various vehicles being driven at high speeds, followed by a short clip that appeared to be filmed inside a police car. A third video posted on October 19 showed similar footage.
Detwiler posted a series of photos on Instagram that appeared to show the same incident on October 15, captioned, "Whistlindiesel word of the day- Imprisonment."
A third influencer, TikTok creator Keller Moore, posted a TikTok video on October 16 that showed a man whose face wasn't visible handcuffed and led into what appeared to be a police car. Moore could be heard saying, "We were just trying to film something in Justin's McLaren and he got in trouble."
Moore posted a second video that showed Detwiler in handcuffs, also being placed into the back of what appears to be a police car. On-screen text read, "Bro they got WhistlinDiesel too..."
Moore's TikTok showing Detwiler's purported arrest has gone viral, receiving 3.3 million views as of Friday, and has sparked skepticism in the comments section.
@kellermoore an eventful night to say the least… @whistlindieselvstiktok2 #mclaren #720s #police #fyp #fypシ ♬ original sound - Keller Moore
Though many viewers expressed concern for Detwiler, asking in the comments "what happened" and whether they would be going to jail, many commenters said the footage looked "fake."
Some people said they could hear "camera clicks" in the background, which suggested that it was a "skit" or a photo op. One person wrote, "If this was real, there would be more cops and they wouldn't let people stand around and take pics.
Many said that they didn't believe that the police would actually arrest Norton and Detwiler just for filming a YouTube video. Some people said that the video appeared to be "staged."
Moore posted photos of the purported incident on his Instagram account, tagging both Detwiler and Norton. Detwiler replied in a comment writing, "Wtf dude. You had one job." Norton also commented, "What a day what day…"
Moore also tagged the Instagram post's location as Dawsonville, Georgia. Insider spoke with the Dawson County Sheriff's Office, where Dawsonville is located, and the Terrell County Sheriff's Office, where Dawson, Georgia, is located, and both said they had no arrest records for the three men.
Norton told Insider that he could not "give any details at this time." Detwiler and Moore did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
Moore, Norton, and Detwiler all post content featuring sports cars, trucks, and other motor vehicles, which they often center challenges around. Detwiler, who is best known for posting stunt videos like off-roading in a school bus, or testing luxury cars, is the most successful of the three, with 4.2 million subscribers on YouTube and over 2 million Instagram followers. Norton primarily posts on Instagram, where he has 40,000 followers. Moore's TikTok account has 268,000 followers.
Detwiler has previously claimed to have run-ins with the police. On May 22, he posted a video on his YouTube channel appearing to show an off-duty police officer reprimanding him for riding a jet ski in a no-wake zone on a lake, where vehicles are required to travel at low speeds.
On June 14, he uploaded another video saying that he and the others present that day were facing misdemeanor charges and up to a year in jail for the incident. Insider was unable to verify that any charges were brought.
For more stories like this, check out coverage from Insider's Digital Culture team here.