() Police in Tempe, Arizona, arrested a social media influencer allegedly involved in a series of viral TikTok pranks that disrupted local businesses.
Heston Cobb, 21, who goes by “Heston James” on his now-deleted TikTok account that had 1.6 million followers, was arrested at his home in Tempe on Wednesday, according to a Tempe Police Department statement.
The department said between the months of March and July, businesses in the area started reporting several instances of a group of men coming into their stores dressed as employees and refusing to leave when asked. Some of the affected businesses include Chipotle, Jiffy Lube and Pep Boys.
Tempe police started to link the cases to the videos after a series of them went viral on Cobb’s account on the platform at the beginning of July. Cobb, who was known as the “leader” of the group, would tell the other group members to start “working” once they entered the businesses, according to authorities.
Cobb was booked on one count of burglary in the third degree, two counts of criminal impersonation, five counts of disorderly conduct and five counts of criminal trespass.
