Jake Paul Denies Involvement in Looting and Vandalism at Arizona Mall
Jake Paul is under fire after being photographed at a mall where protesters were vandalizing and looting.
According to TMZ, Paul was at the Fashion Square in Scottsdale, Arizona on Saturday (May 30) night when protesters began to vandalize and loot stores.
On Sunday (May 31) morning, Paul shared a statement on Twitter to confirm that he did not participate in any illegal activities.
"To be absolutely clear, neither I nor anyone in our group was engaged in any looting or vandalism," Paul wrote.
"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 explained.
Prior to the Twitter statement, Paul posted an Instagram Story of his eye bleeding. In the video, he claimed that a police officer used tear gas on him, which caused the injury.
"We were gassed and forced to keep moving on foot," his statement continued. "We filmed everything we saw in an effort to share our experience and bring more attention to the anger felt in every neighborhood we traveled through; we were strictly documenting, not engaging," Paul reiterated.
Paul explained that he does not condone anyone breaking the law but understands the "anger and frustration that led to the destruction."
"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," he concluded.
See the tweet and videos, below.