Jake Paul Denies Being Part of Looting or Vandalism Amid Protests

Jake Paul is making it clear that he was not looting.

The 23-year-old YouTuber, who is under fire online for being at a mall in Arizona while looting was taking place, penned a message on Sunday (May 31) denying that he was involved, and insisting he was part of the peaceful Black Lives Matter protesting amid the outcry over George Floyd‘s murder.

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“To be clear, neither I nor anyone in our group was engaged in any looting or vandalism. For context, we spent the day doing our part to peacefully protest one of the most horrific injustices our country has ever seen, which led to us being tear-gassed for filming the events and brutality that were unfolding in Arizona,” he wrote.

“We were gassed and forced to keep moving on foot. We filmed everything we saw in an effort to share our experience and bring more attention to teh anger felt in every neighborhood we traveled through; we were strictly documenting, not engaged. I do not condone violence, looting, or breaking the law; however, I understand the anger and frustration that led to the destruction we witnessed and while that’s not the answer, it’s important that people see it and collectively figure out how to move forward in a healthy way. We are all doing the best we can to be helpful and raise awareness; this is not the time to attack each other, it’s time to join together and evolve.”

See the footage that caught him in controversy…