The Los Angeles Police Department arrested YouTuber Ray Diaz on charges of alleged sexual assault. Diaz, 33, is a self-described “entrepreneur” and “creator” with more than 3 million Instagram followers and 300,000 subscribers on YouTube.
In a recent interview, 17-year-old Angelica Salek said she had been dating Diaz for more than a year. Clips posted to her social media allegedly show Diaz being verbally and physically abusive, leading to calls for his arrest, CBS Los Angeles reported.
“I was just so scared always because he would yell at me always,” she said. “It was my fault if somebody would ever have any suspicions that him and I were dating. He would yell at me for hours.”
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In the same interview, Salek said that Diaz forced her to hid in his bed when police came to search for her. “I had to be quiet and not make a sound,” she said.
Diaz responded to the claims and said that they were both acting in the clip. “It’s something you learn in acting class if you study in New York City,” he said.
“The LAPD is aware of several social media posts related to a social media personality, alleging physical abuse and sexual relations with a minor,” LAPD tweeted Thursday. “We take these allegations seriously. Currently, the Department has directed a group of investigators to look into these allegations.”
On Friday, LAPD named Diaz as the suspect in the case. He was taken into custody in San Diego by the elite Robbery-Homicide Division Special Assault Section with the help of the San Diego Police Department. His bail has been set at $500,000 police said.
“We thank the public for their outpouring of concern regarding this case,” LAPD Chief Michael Moore tweeted Saturday. “We are better when we share the responsibility of making sure every member of our community is safe.”
