Anthony Gagné, a 27-year-old content creator from Gatineau, Quebec, has been arrested and charged with public mischief after attempting to create fake crimes in order to draw attention from local police.
Global News reports that Gatineau police say Gagné had been recording himself committing fake crimes and then posting the videos to his social media.
Gagné had allegedly gotten a van that wrote "Free Candy" on it in an attempt to lure children in for his gags. The ordeal led to many residents calling 911.
“In this case here, we know that the crime wasn’t real," Gatineau police Const. Patrick Kenney said. "We know he wasn’t acting with the goal of attracting children to commit a crime. It was to make a video.”
The police then found more videos of Gagné committing fake crimes and subsequently charged him with attempted public mischief. They wound up releasing him on the condition that he halts posting content on his social media channels.
Police seized three cellphones, a tablet, a laptop, fake blood, a ski mask, and a gas mask in Gagné's home.
Gagné also had a history of making videos like these. The RCMP had previously warned him in 2022 to stop making fake-crime videos following an attempt to draw the attention of the FBI.
