A livestream by TWITCH streamer Roberto Gonzalez, also known as Fanum, has ignited controversy after police stopped his car and pointed a gun at him before the shocking video cut off suddenly. Fans are outraged at the New York Police Department for seizing the internet personality's purple Lamborghini Urus.
Fanum, 26, was live streaming on Twitch, where he has over 2 million subscribers, as he rode through the Bronx Dominican Parade in New York City on Sunday.
The streamer was in the car with his driver, Walton, and at least two others when two officers stepped in front of the vehicle, according to the stream footage.
One officer was seen pointing a gun at Fanum, who was in the passenger seat, as he approached the car. A visibly confused Fanum instructed his friends to record the incident.
"Why you got the gun out?" Fanum asked the officer, while the other officer was shown speaking into his radio.
The livestream ended abruptly, but the aftermath of the stop was shared in videos posted by Fanum on his Snapchat.
Footage showed officers handcuffing Walton against the purple car while Fanum and his friends were told to "back up" by other officers who had arrived at the scene.
A video showed a police officer in the driver's seat of the car, appearing to hesitate before starting the vehicle and driving away.
The police informed The U.S. Sun that the car was stopped for driving without license plates.
"The driver and the vehicle were brought back to the 44 Precinct and the driver was released with a summons for unregistered vehicle," said an NYPD spokesperson.
The reason for the officers holding the group at gunpoint remains unclear.
Video taken before the police confrontation shows Fanum and his friends hanging out of the car in the middle of the street, surrounded by crowds of fans and parade-goers.
Fans React To Fanum's Lamborghini Urus Incident
Fans reacted to the livestream's abrupt ending on social media, with some joking that the police stopped the group because they wanted to drive Fanum's Lamborghini.
"So they just wanted to drive his car," one user wrote on X.
"What was the reason? I think they just want his car," second added.
This isn’t the first time AMP members have had issues with the NYPD. Last August, Kai Cenat was arrested and charged with inciting a riot after he told his 6 million followers to meet him at Union Square for a giveaway.
Footage from the scene showed people climbing on top of a hot dog cart and throwing items into the crowd, while others ran around and disrupted traffic.
Over 2,000 people gathered at the park, resulting in chaos that led to 65 arrests. The NYPD issued a level four mobilization, the highest level of disaster response in the city.
Who is Streamer Fanum?
Roberto Gonzalez, better known by his online alias Fanum, is a content creator who gained fame after starting his Twitch streaming career in 2016. He launched his YouTube channel, JustFanum, in May 2017 and became popular for his NBA 2K content and vlogs documenting his life in New York City.
In 2019, Fanum formed a content group called AMP (Any Means Possible) with fellow streamers Duke Dennis, Agent 00, ImDavisss, and Kai Cenat.
He won "Breakout Streamer of the Year" at the 13th Streamy Awards in August 2023 and "Best Role Play Streamer" at the 2023 Streamer Awards.
Fanum also coined the phrase "Fanum Tax," which refers to friends taking bites of each other's food, a habit he is known for during Twitch streams.
As of July 2024, Fanum has over 2.4 million subscribers on Twitch and 1.7 million subscribers on YouTube.
