Originally published 2020-06-03.
On 30 May 2020 the YouTuber Jake Paul was filmed inside Scottsdale Fashion Square in Arizona while the mall was being looted during a night of unrest that followed protests over George Floyd's death. Paul denied looting or vandalising anything and said he was there to document events. He was charged with misdemeanour criminal trespass and unlawful assembly, the charges were dropped in August 2020 so the FBI could investigate, and in August 2021 federal prosecutors announced that they would not charge him.
Here is a clear timeline of what happened, what the footage did and did not show, and why the episode became one of the most argued-about celebrity moments of that summer.
What happened at Scottsdale Fashion Square
Scottsdale Fashion Square is one of the largest shopping centres in Arizona, a few miles from Phoenix. On the night of Saturday, 30 May 2020, after a day of demonstrations in the Phoenix area, a large crowd gathered at the mall. Scottsdale police later said hundreds of people had arrived under the guise of protesting police violence and that the night turned into a riot with property damage and looting.
Paul, who was 23 at the time and lived in California, was in the area with a group that included friends and a videographer. Clips from that night soon appeared online showing him walking through the mall as windows were smashed and people carried goods out of shops. One clip includes a man's voice complaining, with plenty of swearing, about being tear-gassed and having guns pointed at him; it is not clear from the footage who is speaking.
Within hours, people on social media began accusing Paul of joining in the looting.
FUCK JAKE PAUL he’s at fashion square looting while people are protesting n being teargassed downtown pic.twitter.com/jM18sBU80L
— sam (@HELLAGHOUL) May 31, 2020
What the videos show and what they do not
The footage widely shared at the time places Paul inside the mall while looting was going on around him. It does not clearly show him taking goods or damaging property himself. That distinction is important: being present at a riot can still be an offence, such as unlawful assembly or trespass, but it is not the same as stealing.
His videographer, reported at the time to be Andrew Blue, posted a statement on Instagram saying his job was to film everything and that the group had only been documenting events. He said nobody with them had looted or vandalised anything and that, while they understood people's anger, they did not support that behaviour.
Paul made the same case. He said he and his friends had spent the day at protests, had been tear-gassed while filming, and had been forced to keep moving on foot. He insisted that the group was documenting what was happening rather than taking part.
Why so many people were angry
For many critics, the question was not only whether Paul stole anything. It was why a wealthy entertainer, whose fortune was estimated at the time at around $19 million, was filming a mall being looted at all. Some accused him of turning a movement against racism and police violence into content for his channel.
Jake Paul, a millionaire, is looting a mall so that he could post a YouTube video about it and add more to his wealth. You can’t make this s*** up.
— Walt (@UberKryptonian) May 31, 2020
(This post is no longer available on X.)
Jake Paul hijacking the black lives matter movement to loot a mall for youtube content is one of the most Jake Paul moves I could imagine, what an absolute waste of space he and his brother are
— yeah i’m still emo, so what? (@ThyArtIsMemes) May 31, 2020
Jake Paul looting and using the death of unarmed black men by police for vlog views is disgusting but it’s exactly who he is.
— Zach Sang (@zachsang) May 31, 2020
he didn’t march in solidarity with anyone he showed up hours after to loot a mall for VIEWS. Jake cares about no one but himself & money. he needs help.
Paul already had a controversial reputation before that night, which shaped how the clips were received. Supporters argued that a man who makes his living by filming and commenting on events would naturally go to a major story near where he was staying, and that he had said he backed the protests. Critics replied that the timing and setting made the trip look self-serving. Both views were widely shared, and opinion stayed divided.
Charges, the FBI search and the outcome
In June 2020 Scottsdale police announced that Paul had been identified as a participant in the riot and charged him with criminal trespass and unlawful assembly, both misdemeanours. Two other men, Arman Izadi and Andrew Leon, were charged too.
On 5 August 2020 the police dismissed the charges against all three without prejudice, explaining that a federal criminal investigation needed to be completed first. Their statement made clear the case was not closed: "Scottsdale retains the option to refile charges depending on the outcome of the federal investigation."
The same week, FBI agents searched Paul's home in Calabasas, California, and Izadi's house in Las Vegas. The FBI's Phoenix office said the searches related to allegations of criminal acts surrounding the incident at Scottsdale Fashion Square. The warrants were sealed. Paul responded on Twitter: "Gimme my charges and let's put the focus back on George Floyd and Black Lives Matter."
On 13 August 2021 the US Attorney's Office for the District of Arizona announced that it would not bring federal charges against Paul for his conduct on 30 May 2020, citing the investigation and the evidence available. We found no reports that the Scottsdale misdemeanour charges were ever refiled.
Protest, riot and looting: why the words matter
The Scottsdale case is a useful reminder of how different things can be mixed together in fast-moving coverage. The protests that followed George Floyd's death were overwhelmingly peaceful, but a minority of nights in some cities also saw looting and property damage, often away from the main demonstrations. Lumping these together can make peaceful protesters seem responsible for crimes they had nothing to do with, and it can make individual accusations seem more certain than the evidence allows.
The legal categories also differ. Unlawful assembly and trespass can apply to people who simply stay somewhere they have been told to leave. Looting involves taking property. When a celebrity is filmed in a chaotic scene, it is worth asking which of these the footage actually shows before sharing an accusation.
What came next for Jake Paul
The controversy did little long-term damage to Paul's career. Later in 2020 he moved further into professional boxing, which became his main focus. He went on to fight former UFC fighters and, in November 2024, the former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson in a Netflix-streamed bout. The Scottsdale episode still comes up whenever his public image is discussed, mostly as an example of how quickly online outrage forms and how slowly the legal process catches up.
Sources: FOX 10 Phoenix: Charges against Jake Paul dismissed, with August 2021 update on federal decision; NBC News, August 2020: Jake Paul's home searched by FBI; Yahoo News: Jake Paul will not face federal charges. Embedded posts from X users as shown.
COMMENTS