What kind of prank videos did Heston James make? Details explored as social media influencer Cobb gets arrested by Tempe PD

YouTuber and social media influencer Heston Cobb, also known as Heston James on his social media accounts, is best recognized for his "scream pranks." Heston and his accomplices burst into loud, exaggerated screams in public settings and then act innocent, often gaslighting people around them into believing it was not them.

According to Tempe police, 24-year-old Heston was taken into custody at his home on July 23 after multiple businesses reported his pranks to the police.

Heston was charged with 13 counts, according to police, including one count of third-degree burglary, two counts of criminal impersonation, and five counts of disorderly conduct misdemeanor. As of July 24, Heston has 1.2 million followers on Instagram and 75.3K subscribers on YouTube.

What did Heston James do?

Heston James and his accomplices disrupted multiple businesses between March and July by entering their properties and attempting to prank them. A portion of the statement released by Fox10 Phoenix read,

"Between the months of March and July, businesses began reporting instances of group of men coming into their stores dressed as employees. These men began seriously disrupting their businesses by entering employee-only areas and refusing to leave when asked."

The statement continued,

"One man was identified as the 'leader' of the group, instructed the others to begin 'working.'

Investigators observed that the alleged acts were posted on Heston James's social media pages and received millions of views, potentially earning significant revenue. They also noted that the group carried out the pranks at various businesses, including Pep Boys, Hyland Auto Repair, Big Brand Tire & Service, Jiffy Lube, and Chipotle.

Tempe Officer Jessica Ells said,

"These videos are definitely not pranks. They are crossing the line from something that's fun and playful into criminal territory. They're breaking laws. They are going into these businesses and impersonating the employees. That actually is a felony charge."

One of the videos posted on social media shows Heston James and his group at Hyland Auto, dressed as mechanics. Heston tells an employee that he is from corporate and will be bringing his own crew. Soon, a van pulls up, and multiple men jump out, start grabbing tools, and go underneath customers' vehicles.

As one employee yells "get out" to Heston James, he instructs his group to "get to work."

In another viral video, Heston appears at Chipotle dressed as an employee. He tells staff that he's bringing in a crew "to clean house." A worker is seen calling 911 to report the invasion.

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