TikTok twins charged over bank robbery prank

Alan and Alex Stokes, popular TikTok stars and YouTubers were charged by the Orange County District Attorney’s Office after allegedly staging a bank robbery prank.

The twins from Irvine, California has been each charged with one felony count of false imprisonment effected by violence, menace, fraud or deceit, and one misdemeanor count of falsely reporting an emergency. The charges stem from a pair of fake bank robberies in Irvine on Oct. 15.

In a YouTube video, they are seen running away from a building while wearing ski masks and carrying duffel bags which are filled with dollar bills.

Then twins ordered an Uber but then the driver refused to drive the brothers. A bystander witnessing the incident believed the men were attempting to carjack the Uber after robbing a bank and called police.

When police arrived, they held the Uber driver at gunpoint but later released him after determining that he was not involved. At the time, the police issued a warning to the brothers about their behaviour and allowed them to leave.

A videographer was filming the whole incident for the purpose of being shared on social media.

According to the D.A.’s office, the Stokes brothers performed the same kind of prank four hours later at the UC Irvine campus, again prompting a police response.

Todd Spitzer, Orange Country district attorney did not laugh at the attempted joke.

“These were not pranks. These are crimes that could have resulted in someone getting seriously injured or even killed.”

Alan and Alex will face up to four years in prison if they are convicted.

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