An American YouTuber considered charming by his fans and loathsome by most everyone else is under investigation for allegedly hiring 50 Thai police officers for his latest stunt video.
The national police chief yesterday ordered an “urgent” investigation into whether Nathan Bartling, aka MyMateNate, went through the proper channels to recruit the officers or possibly paid actors to impersonate police for his 22-minute long video 50 Cops Hunt Me Down!, which has been watched more than two million times since it debuted Saturday.
(Update) Unauthorized: 30 cops joined My Mate Nate’s ‘hunt’ stunt, impersonators face charges
In the video, Bartling and six other YouTubers hide throughout an abandoned, crumbling mall as waves of police ranging from patrol officers to a tactical commando team comb the mall attempting to flush them out. Bartling shills some skin cream throughout, promising the cops a discount for every person found.
Fortunately for all those who find Bartling obnoxious, he is one of the few they succeed in locating.
While acknowledging that at least some of the men in the video were actual police officers, Royal Thai Police Commissioner Lt. Gen. Damrongsak Kittiprapas said he wants to find out if any civilians donned police uniforms, which is treated as a serious crime in Thailand.
In the video, the 30-or-so officers wear proper uniforms, name badges, tactical gear and firearms that they are not shy about waving around for no discernable reason than to look cool, which generally is not an acceptable reason in police procedure to brandish a weapon. They also use police vehicles in the production.
Impersonating a police officer without authorization carries a penalty of up to five years. Wearing police attire or displaying police insignia is punishable by up to a year behind bars and a THB2,000 fine.
It is unclear what charges Bartling might face.
A former Mormon missionary who became a PrankTuber star in Thailand, Bartling drew widespread wrath after his videos moved on from humiliating Thais to torturing animals ranging from fish to cats. He faced legal jeopardy and was charged with trespassing for flattening coins on a Bangkok railway.
Any request to use the facilities, personnel, equipment, and vehicles of the Royal Thai Police for the purpose of filming and distributing media to the public must be filed. Approval from the commanding officer is required, and violation of these regulations constitutes a disciplinary offense.
The video, which has been trending in the Top 10 on Thai YouTube, has divided opinions.
Numerous comments enjoyed it, with many praising the teamwork and tactical skills employed by the police, citing it as a fun diversion for training.
Among those praising the video was none other than Sita Divari, a former Air Force commander and politician in the Thai Sang Thai Party.
“It’s really entertaining. It can be considered as a joint training. If there is another opportunity, the police will become more skilled, detailed, and faster,” he said in a comment. “It shouldn’t be seen as wasting official working time but rather as an activity that yields multiple benefits at once.”
Others thought it further tarnished the image of the Thai police. Critics questioned whether the officers were real, and skeptics questioned how they could be available in such large numbers.
The video mimics the style of YouTube lord MrBeast, who on Monday just happened to lambast his copycats.
“Sometimes I regret going on podcasts and sharing everything I know about YouTube,” wrote the YouTuber, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson. “I thought people would use the knowledge to innovate and be inspired but tons just copy exactly what I do and don’t change anything. Kind of sad how many ‘MrBeast Clones’ there are.”
Sometimes I regret going on podcasts and sharing everything I know about YouTube. I thought people would use the knowledge to innovate and be inspired but tons just copy exactly what I do and don’t change anything. Kind of sad how many “MrBeast Clones” there are.
— MrBeast (@MrBeast) June 19, 2023
