LAPD not laughing over pranksters' viral "coke" gag on officers
MARINA DEL REY, Calif. -- A group of practical jokers thought a prank against LAPD officers was simple, harmless fun, but the department is not laughing, CBS Los Angeles reports.
The prank, which has gone viral online, shows officers approaching several men in an SUV. As officers ask questions, two of the men respond with nervous, awkward answers.
When the driver is asked to step out of the the vehicle, one of the pranksters in the back seat pretends to panic, and yells, "I can't do this! We have a bunch of coke in the back! I'm sorry!"
The officers proceed to begin arresting the men, and they start investigating the vehicle.
However, when it turns out the pranksters are carrying dozens of Coca-Cola cans, covered by a blanket in the back of the vehicle, it was clear that the officers were the subjects of a gimmick.
The officer who found the cans in the trunk could be seen shaking her head upon the discovery. Both officers are even seen shaking the prankster's hands as they release them from handcuffs.
"The cops were so cool about it, we didn't think they were going to be like that," prankster Kyle Forgeard said. "We thought they were going to get mad."
The video was made for the group's company Nelk Filmz, through which they regularly post pranks online.
"We're always trying to take things to the next level, we never want to do stuff that's been done," Forgeard said. "We pride ourselves on originality, so we took it to the next level."
This was the first time the group involved police in a prank, and if the LAPD has anything to say about it, it will be their last as well.
"(The officers are) not able to respond to calls that may come out where there's an actual need for police resources," LAPD Sgt. Michael Fox said.
Police are now worried about copycat pranksters, as well as the potentially bad outcomes of their pranks.
"(This) could lead to a use of force, somebody could get injured, and that's a little bit more concerning than anything," Sgt. Fox said.
Police want to remind the public that people can be charged for making a false report.
The pranksters, meanwhile, hope to create their own reality show.