Charles Smith TikTok prankster faces felony charges after spraying pesticide on supermarket produce and becoming a public nuisance.
At what cost social media followers? A social media influencer is facing jail time after filming himself spraying pesticide on fresh produce at an Arizona Walmart store last week.
Charles Smith, 27, also known by his TikTok name as Wolfie Kahletti, @WolfieKhaletti on TikTok, (since deleted) according to a press release from the Mesa Police Department was arrested on Saturday, Dec. 21, for allegedly spraying deadly chemicals across several food items earlier that week at a Mesa, Arizona Walmart store.
Police stated that at around 8:30 p.m. local time on Dec. 19, Smith who prior to deleting his account had more than 350K followers went into the Walmart, located on South Stapley Drive, with the intention of filming a prank video for his TikTok account.
A 27-year-old TikTok “prankster” named Charles Smith was arrested in Mesa, Arizona, after causing a dangerous scene at a Walmart on December 19. Smith, known for his reckless social media stunts, filmed himself committing a criminal act where he sprayed bug poison on food items… pic.twitter.com/3SqwnFRD9v
— 𝕏 Ali Al Samahi 🇦🇪علي السماحي (@alsamahi) December 22, 2024
Tiktok prankster goes too far
Cops allege that Smith picked up a can of Hot Shot Ultra Bed Bug & Flea Killer and did not pay for it. He then allegedly sprayed it across fresh produce and other food, including vegetables, fruit and rotisserie chickens that were available for purchase.
In a now-deleted TikTok video, Smith filmed himself picking up the pesticide can and spraying it across the food, police said. Smith then left the store and later posted the ‘prank’ video.
‘Once he left, he began to see comments online saying how horrible the act was, and he decided to return and collect the items,’ police said.
‘Through investigative means, and with assistance from the Tempe Police Department, detectives were able to identify Smith as the suspect,’ according to the Mesa Police Department’s press release. ‘Mesa Police contacted Smith and he turned himself in voluntarily.’
Investigators added that during police questioning, Smith ‘admitted to the theft and spraying of the pesticide.’
This is Charles Smith and his penalties are not harsh enough! Mass poisoning isn’t a prank!
Here’s one of the other videos.
I guess it’s a slow fade before you cross the line for money.pic.twitter.com/kwMZLmHWkf— SyeClops (@SyeClops) December 22, 2024
Pranks that can earn TikToker $6-10K a month
In its press release, the Mesa Police Department stated: ‘This incident underscores the potential dangers of reckless actions disguised as social media pranks.’
Speaking to Arizona Republic the day before charges were filed, Smith said the fresh food was ‘thrown away right after,’ and ‘no one was poisoned’ in the process.
‘The defendant then returned about 10 minutes after he sprayed the items and attempted to collect the items he had sprayed, placed them in a shopping cart, and wheeled them back to the rear of the store, to try and prevent people from taking the contaminated items,’ police said.
Smith now faces charges of criminal damage, endangerment and theft, all misdemeanors, as well as introducing poison, a class 6 felony (the least severe of felony charges in Arizona).
Court records from the case state that Smith called himself a ‘troll,’ and he often posts provocative pranks that are meant to cause controversy or uproar.
‘The defendant admitted he can earn between 6 to 10 thousand dollars a month for doing acts like these and posting them on social media,’ court documents continued.
In his TikTok bio, (since deleted) Smith calls himself a ‘tycoon creator’ and ‘supreme villain.’ His videos regularly garner more than one million views, with some clocking as many as 12 million views.
Mesa police have previously arrested Smith on charges including shoplifting, theft of means, false report, according to court documents. There was also an active warrant against Smith in Tempe for failure to appear.
