The highly publicized trial of delivery driver Alan Colie, who shot YouTube prankster Tanner Cook at a mall food court, concluded with Colie receiving a sentence of time already served, allowing him to walk free after spending approximately eight months in jail awaiting trial.
The ruling came in December 2023, drawing a legal close to a volatile case that put the extreme nature of viral content on trial and reignited the national debate over self-defense laws and the escalating dangers of confrontational “prank” culture.
The event unfolded in April 2023 at the Dulles Town Center when Colie, 31, was approached by Cook, 21, who runs the popular “Classified Goons” YouTube channel. Cook was filming Colie at close range, holding a phone broadcasting the phrase, “Hey dips**t – quit thinking about my twinkle,” multiple times.
According to court testimony and video evidence, Colie repeatedly told Cook to “stop” and attempted to back away. When Cook continued to advance with the phone close to Colie’s face, Colie drew a concealed firearm and fired a single shot, striking Cook in the lower chest. Cook, miraculously, survived.
Colie was charged with several felonies, including aggravated malicious wounding. He pleaded not guilty, claiming he acted in self-defense, a claim the jury ultimately accepted.
In September 2023, a Loudoun County jury found Alan Colie:
- NOT GUILTY of aggravated malicious wounding (a Class 2 felony).
- NOT GUILTY of use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.
- GUILTY of discharging a firearm within an occupied building (a Class 6 felony).
The acquittal on the most serious charge indicated the jury accepted the defense’s argument that the prank was a calculated act of harassment that caused Colie to reasonably fear for his safety. However, they found him guilty of illegally discharging a weapon in a public space.
For the Class 6 felony conviction of discharging a firearm in an occupied building—a charge carrying a potential sentence of up to five years in prison—Colie received the following sentence in December 2023:
- Sentence Imposed: The presiding judge sentenced Colie to time already served.
- Immediate Release: Since Colie had been incarcerated since his arrest in April 2023 (approximately eight months) while awaiting trial and sentencing, the court deemed this period sufficient to satisfy the penalty. Colie was released immediately following the sentencing.
The final sentence reflected the conflicting circumstances of the case: the jury’s decision to affirm a right to self-defense in a threatening situation, while still penalizing the severe public safety risk posed by firing a weapon in a crowded shopping mall.
The incident and the court’s resolution have been widely discussed as a critical moment for online “prank” culture. While Tanner Cook’s father expressed disappointment that the verdict seemed to excuse the shooting, legal experts emphasized that the case underscores the unpredictable and potentially fatal risks associated with aggressive, confrontational content creation in public.