A YouTuber who allegedly pepper-sprayed random people outside a Costco has now been arrested. And, as reported by Dexerto, the upcoming lawsuit from a victim could be a big one.
Authorities have stated that 51-year-old YouTuber Richard Maza apparently targeted random shoppers as part of his channel. His channel focuses on "First Amendment auditing", which seems to involve filming people in public.
The description of his YouTube channel states that the role of the channel is "Defending our First Amendment Rights of Freedom of the Press to Record in Public." It says that "Sidewalks, Post Offices, and other public places are exactly that, PUBLIC!" as well as "There is No Expectation of Privacy IN PUBLIC!"
And authorities have said that Maza provoked a confrontation with a man outside a Costco in Mountain View, California. And, when things escalated, he intentionally pepper sprayed the victim in the face. Authorities have stated they believe the confrontation was specifically engineered to make the man lash out. This is so Maza could use the pepper spray in self-defense.
The victim was later diagnosed with a corneal abrasion. He suffered "significant vision loss" for several days after the incident.
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The Police Report Explained the YouTuber's Actions
The police report issued after Maza's arrest says that the YouTuber "deliberately provoked" people. This isn't the first time he has pepper-sprayed people, either. Mountain View officer Andrew Wong explained that the videos where he pepper-sprayed people were more viral than his other content.
Wong also said that the man didn't look like he was defending himself in the other videos, either. He said that the YouTuber's mocking of victims on social media "was not typical of victims who are truly defending themselves."
Maza has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, along with felony use of tear gas. These are pretty serious crimes. With four years for assault with a deadly weapon and three years for felony use of tear gas, Maza could be looking at seven years in prison.
Maza is also expected to be facing a $1 million lawsuit. An attorney has said the victim plans to sue Maza for racketeering and injury damages.
