Who are Alan and Alex Stokes? TikTokers' ‘schoolyard immaturity’ irks Internet after fake bank robberies
One of the Internet’s favorite twins has gotten itself entangled in deep trouble after pulling fake bank robbery pranks, that went terribly wrong. TikTok and YouTube sensations Alan and Alex Stokes of Irvine, California, aged 23, have been charged with one felony count of false imprisonment and one misdemeanor count of falsely reporting an emergency, reports Deadline. The charges against the brothers came after they staged a few fake bank robberies in Irvine on October 15, 2019.
Who are Alan and Alex Stokes and what are they charged for?
Alan and Alex are identical twins born in 1996. They’ve established themselves among famous social media influencers after gathering millions of followers from across the world. The brothers boast over 25 million followers on TikTok under their account @stoketwins. They began their career together and gained popularity for sharing short clips on TikTok while garnering an impressive following on YouTube with pranks and other videos. Their official YouTube channel has 4.81 million subscribers.
Alan and Alex made headlines last year following the bank robbery pranks. The DA office reported that the twins were dressed in black with ski masks on, carrying bags of cash, pretending they had robbed a bank. Alan and Alex were even being filmed as they went on to book an Uber. Deadline reports that a bystander saw the twins pose as robbers trying to carjack the Uber driver as a part of their prank and called police.
The Irvine police arrived and reportedly held the Uber driver at gunpoint presuming he was involved in the heist, but cleared him later. They even issued a warning to the twins and let them go. However, Alan and Alex pulled a similar prank four hours later at US Irvine campus. However, the cops did not excuse them for the second time. If the duo is convicted on the above charges, they could serve a sentence of four years each in state prison, according to the DA office.
Felony charges against Alex and Alen have attracted a wide range of reactions on Twitter. Some of their fans are of the opinion that if the twins get imprisoned, their fame would shoot up further. However, the majority of them have slammed the TikTok stars for their “immaturity” that could have put others’ lives on the line. One user wrote, “Star” but whose definition? Schoolyard immaturity does not equal 'star' but crime does equal prison cell. Now that is a prank I like. Make it worthwhile and lengthy.” Another added, "I swear these people would be like 'we murdered your entire family to catch your reaction hahahaha pranked broooo' Hurting and threatening others is not a prank. It’s bullying for your amusement."
“Star” but whose definition? Schoolyard immaturity does not equal “star” but crime does equal prison cell. Now that is a prank I like. Make it worthwhile and lengthy.
— 🐨💕Illawarra Flame🐾🐶 (@IllawarraFlame) August 6, 2020
I swear these people would be like “we murdered your entire family to catch your reaction hahahaha pranked broooo”
— Poke a hot ass (@simonjypark) August 6, 2020
Hurting and threatening others is not a prank. It’s bullying for your amusement.
Meanwhile, DA Todd Spitzer said in a statement, “Law enforcement officers are sworn to protect the public, and when someone calls 911 to report an active bank robbery, they are going to respond to protect lives. Instead, what they found was some kind of twisted attempt to gain more popularity on the internet by unnecessarily putting members of the public and police officers in danger. These were not pranks. These are crimes that could have resulted in someone getting seriously injured or even killed.”