YouTube star arrested for playing game of hide and seek in Texas mall after it closed, say police
Twitch star Duke Dennis was arrested at a Texas mall on Saturday while playing hide-and-seek with a group of friends after hours, according to police.
Police encountered Dennis, whose full name is Denzel Shaquille Dennis, after being called around 10pm about a disturbance at the Shops at Rivercenter in San Antonio.
Officials said Dennis and his friends were “causing disruption throughout the area,” and had refused to leave despite being warned by mall security guards.
The Twitch star, part of the AMP collective alongside fellow streaming celebrity Kai Cenat, verbally and physically refused similar warnings from police.
When an officer told Dennis to put his hands behind his back, the 31-year-old “jumped back and started running away,” according to a police report obtained by the San Antonio Express-News.
Police eventually caught up with Dennis and arrested him.
Unverified video on social media appears to show Dennis being put in handcuffs as Cenat watches from an upper floor.
Dennis was charged with criminal trespass and evading arrest, and released on Sunday on a $1,000 bond for each charge after being put in jail in Bexar County, according to public records.
“Officially on vacation, need suggestions on where to go…See y’all later,” Dennis wrote on Instagram on Sunday.
The Independent has contacted Dennis for comment.
The Twitch streamer, who has more than 3.2 million followers on the platform, wasn’t the only one booked in the incident.
Lavoune Mark Clarke, 40, was also arrested for pushing an officer during the incident, causing the policeman to injure his hand, My San Antonio reports. He posted his $5,000 bond on Monday.
The AMP collective was in Texas throughout July for a 30-day summer-themed streaming marathon.
The group stayed part of that time at the San Antonio home of NBA legend Tony Parker, a former player on the San Antonio Spurs.
Dennis was recently detained in China after law enforcement found a bullet in his bag.
The streamer said the bullet was put in the bag before visiting the country as he cleaned out his car.
The streamer was released without being charged or facing any jail time in that incident.
