Chucky Actor Ed Gale Tried to Solicit Sex From Teen Boy During Sting Operation

Los Angeles police are investigating Ed Gale after a vigilante group caught the Chucky actor on camera appearing to admit to soliciting sex from a 14-year-old boy. Officers were called to the scene and filmed outside Gale's apartment building on April 14, but no arrests have been made. Gale, 59, is famous for being the in-suit performer of the killer doll Chucky in Child's Play, Child's Play 2 and Bride of Chucky.

Gale was confronted by Creep Catcher Unit (CC Unit) host "Ghost" on April 14 when the actor allegedly thought he was meeting up with a 14-year-old boy for sex. In videos The Daily Mail published on Wednesday, Gale told Ghost there were multiple minors he "talked to sexually online" who were "all under 18." The actor said there were "Definitely no more than 10" minors he spoke with.

"Did you talk sexually to a minor online, yes or no?" Ghost asked Gale in the video.

"Yes," Gale said. When Ghost reminded him that was a felony, Gale replied that he knew that. Ghost also showed printouts of the text conversation Gale had with him when he thought Ghost was a 14-year-old boy. Gale admitted he sent them.

The screenshots include sexually graphic messages Gale sent to Ghost's decoy. The YouTuber told The Daily Mail that Gale first reached out to the decoy account in February. "We told him that we were 14 years old. He was fine with the age," Ghost said. "Throughout the months he would try to solicit nude pictures from this 'kid.'"

"When LAPD showed up, they took all the evidence we had. We had printouts of the chats and everything. We emailed them the chats and gave them the footage," Ghost said. He claimed the LAPD didn't arrest Gale on the spot because of his health condition. In the video, Gale is seen using a breathing tube and oxygen tank. Gale also claimed that police took Gale's electronic devices for their investigation, but the LAPD did not confirm this.

Los Angeles police told The Daily Mail they are investigating the allegations against Gale. He has not been arrested and no charges have been filed yet. "It is an ongoing investigation and no information is available at this time," a spokesperson told the outlet. Gale has not commented.

CC Unit began in 2018, and claims to have conducted over 300 stings on alleged predators, and some of his work has led to charges against alleged predators. However, authorities have expressed concerns about vigilantes trying to catch predators on their own. Sergeant Garrick Nugent, who leads the San Diego Police Department's Internet Crimes Against Children task force, told CBS8 last year that vigilantes are putting their own safety at risk. Even if CC Unit's efforts lead to an arrest, Nugent noted that their evidence might not stand up in court.

"A lot of the chatting they are doing, if we were to be doing it, it would be unlawful. We are forbidden from bringing up anything about sex. If we did, it's entrapment," Nugent explained. "They do not have to abide by the same rules and regulations that we do."

Ghost told CBS8 he tries to avoid entrapment so police can use their evidence. Still, Nugent said authorities need actual hardware from CC Unit for information on their decoys. "A lot of that is very good information but what we need is for them to actually provide us with their computer and their phones," Nugent said. "We need to be able to extract the original recording for evidentiary reasons and they are just not willing to do that."

Since CC Unit experienced pushback from San Deigo authorities, Ghost began doing sting operations further north. "They want me to quit. But I am still going to do it," Ghost told CBS8. "Whether you arrest them or not, I'm going to still expose them."

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, you can contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.