Man acquitted of shooting YouTube prankster stuck in jail anyway

A DoorDash delivery driver who shot a YouTube prankster on video in a Virginia mall has been acquitted of malicious wounding but remains jailed after jurors found him guilty of a lesser gun charge.

Tanner Cook, the 21-year-old who posts videos online under the name “Classified Goons,” was shot in the chest on April 2 after attempting to prank 31-year-old Alan Colie, a Leesburg resident who was picking up an order at the Dulles Center Mall near Washington, D.C.

In court, jurors saw video of the altercation, which reportedly showed Cook, who is 6 feet, 5 inches tall, holding a phone in his face blasting the phrase, “Hey dips—, quit thinking about my twinkle.”

YOUTUBE PRANKSTER SAYS HE DIDN’T KNOW HE SCARED MAN WHO ENDED UP ALLEGEDLY SHOOTING HIM

Colie told him to stop and backed away. Cook kept following him. The driver pulled out a gun and shot him in the chest.

Colie had pleaded not guilty and argued the shooting came in self-defense. Jurors, in part, agreed, acquitting him on the most serious charge, aggravated malicious wounding, as well as malicious shooting inside an occupied building.

However, they found him guilty of using a firearm during the commission of a felony, and he will remain behind bars pending a motion from his lawyers, who argued that the lesser conviction is inconsistent with Virginia law after jurors found he acted without malice and in self-defense.

YOUTUBE PRANKSTER IN VIRGINIA HOSPITALIZED AFTER BEING SHOT AT MALL

The defendant is due back in court on Oct. 19 for a hearing on the issue.

Cook shared video of the shooting’s aftermath with his 55,000 YouTube followers under the heading, “I Got Shot!” In the same video, he pretended to fall asleep on his feet in a Volkswagen dealership, prompting an employee to tell police he looked like he was “under the influence.”

Other videos show him following people around public places, sometimes in stores, car dealerships or the mall, and acting bizarrely. 

Cook, who is still making videos, has said he makes about $2,000 to $3,000 a month from them.

Fox News’ Adam Sabes and The Associated Press contributed to this report.