While Twitch is a hive for hilarious and unscripted moments like pranks, fist fights, and even livestreamed porn, one streamer caught an act of crime as it was unfolding for his entire audience to see.
IRL Twitch streamer ‘Lee’s Channel,’ who documents social issues in San Francisco, was broadcasting his walk in San the city when he came upon an apparent thief, who was using a handheld power tool to loudly remove the lock from a bicycle parked by a curb in broad daylight.
“Hey buddy,” the streamer implored, walking up to the thief to find that they were clad in a hoodie, a hat, and sunglasses to conceal their identity. “Don’t do it.”
When approached about the matter, the thief vehemently claimed that the bike was his, quickly placing the grinder in his backpack before stating, “Are you gonna videotape me?” after taking note of the streamer’s equipment.
The streamer wasn’t the only one putting the thief on the spot, either; another bystander likewise whipped out his phone to call law enforcement to deal with the thief, who walked away after being called out by the duo.
Commenters were quick to clown the thief for his obvious “disguise,” noting that his getup and loud power tool were incredibly obvious to bystanders.
“Baseball cap, shades AND the hoody,” one commenter wrote. “Nah, he’s not suspicious, it’s sunny, that’s all.”
“It’s like the dude Googled ‘how to look like a bike thief’ before he went out to steal bikes,” another user joked of the encounter.
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This wouldn’t be the first time a Twitch streamer has caught a thief in the act during a live broadcast, either; Korean Twitch streamer Giannie Lee was in the middle of a stream on May 20 when her camera caught a pickpocket stealing her partner’s wallet during a walk, who immediately turned around upon realizing that his wallet had gone missing.
However, after apparently taking notice of Lee’s streaming equipment (or not finding anything of apparent worth in her partner’s wallet), the thief returned the billfold, claiming that he’d found it after seeing it on the ground.
Lee appears to be an unfortunate magnet for deplorable behavior, as she likewise was the victim of racist vitriol from multiple strangers during her trip to Berlin, Germany for TwitchCon Europe.
Despite their hateful actions, Lee encouraged her viewers to forgive the bystanders, effectively “killing them with kindness” and providing a spotlight of positivity on an otherwise disgraceful situation.