A man whose viral YouTube videos captured harrowing jumps from high places into private pools and the ocean in Southern California is now in hot water — he's facing trespassing charges.
Anthony Booth Armer, 28, of Laguna Niguel, was arrested on Wednesday in Laguna Beach, according to a news release from the Orange County District Attorney's Office. He faces two misdemeanor counts of unauthorized entry of a dwelling and one misdemeanor count of trespassing with intent to interfere with business.
Armer, who allegedly uses the YouTube handle 8Booth, is accused of jumping into the ocean and private pools in Laguna Beach and Newport Beach in July, September and earlier this month, prosecutors said.
It wasn't immediately clear if Armer had an attorney to respond to the accusations. The person seen jumping from rocky outcroppings and buildings in the 8Booth videos has his face obscured.
On July 21, Armer allegedly climbed over a retaining wall into gated property in Laguna Beach, then jumped into the ocean near Table Rock Beach.
Police began investigating the case after the video gained media attention. The homeowner told police Armer didn't have permission to be on the property, prosecutors said.
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On Sept. 29, Armer allegedly struck a hotel, climbing over a wall into employee-only areas of Laguna Beach's Surf and Sand Hotel.
"The defendant is accused of climbing to the fifth floor of the hotel and jumping into the gated, guest-only pool," prosecutors said in the news release. "Armer was not a guest of the hotel."
Hotel employees notified police.
On the morning of Oct. 6, Armer allegedly ran up several flights of stairs at the Newport Towers, a private residential building in Newport Beach, and jumped from the roof into the harbor.
The first-person footage shows someone climbing the stairs and plunging into the water, barely missing a boat dock — similar to the other videos posted in the YouTube channel. The Newport video, posted Oct. 14, has over six million views.
