YouTuber Arrested for Alleged Assault With a Deadly Weapon

A controversial YouTuber known for his graphic art was arrested in late October after he allegedly assaulted someone with a deadly weapon. Shadman, real name Shaddai Prejean, was arrested on Oct. 26 in Los Angeles, California and booked on the felony charge.

At this time, details of the incident that led to the arrest remain unclear. Records filed in the Los Angeles County Superior Courts at Glendale Courthouse and posted on UniCourt showed Shadman was taken into police custody on Tuesday, Oct. 26 booked under section 245 (A)1, which carries charges for assault with a deadly weapon under the California Penal Code. Section 245 (A) 1 reads, “Any person who commits an assault upon the person of another with a deadly weapon or instrument other than a firearm shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for two, three, or four years, or in a county jail for not exceeding one year, or by a fine not exceeding ten thousand dollars ($10,000), or by both the fine and imprisonment.”

It is unclear if Shadman remains in prison or if he has since been released. His first hearing in connection with the charge is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 19. The YouTuber has not publicly addressed his arrest.

Known online as Shadman, the YouTuber has been a controversial figure for years. According to his IMDb profile, he was kicked out of the F+F School for Art and Media Design Zurich and dubbed “menace to society” before moving from Switzerland to the U.S. He joined YouTube in 2008 and is known for posting videos, all of which show him in a mask, featuring his sexually explicit artwotk. He specializes in drawing pornographic illustrations and digital art and built a following for his illustrations characters like Elastigirl and of loli, a form of Japanese anime that is sexually explicit and features underage cartoon characters. His artwork has sparked plenty of controversy, with Sportskeeda noting that has been labeled “an alleged pedophile” by some online. Amid the controversy, Shadman announced in 2019 that he would stop posting loli and other pornographic artwork online, citing the backlash his artwork generated.

Shadman’s arrest follows that of webcomic artist Chris Chan. Chan was arrested in August and charged with incest after a phone call leaked that alleged she had sexual relations with her 79-year-old mother. Many of those online have drawn comparisons between Shadman and Chan’s arrests due to their sexually explicit artwork.