Georgia authorities were tipped off to a suspect's whereabouts in a drug case, after people realized that he was a popular creator on the TikTok app.
According to a press release from the Georgia Bureau of Investigations, seven people were arrested on June 24 in a drug bust by the GBI and LaGrange Police Department.
In a Facebook post from July 2, LaGrange PD wrote that they were still searching for another suspect, 21-year-old William Reeves Durga.
"#TeamLPD we need your help in locating William Reeves Durga. He is #WANTED in reference to the ongoing investigation with Georgia Bureau of Investigation West Metro Drug Office and the LaGrange Police Department's Special Investigations Unit," authorities wrote, also encouraging people to get in touch if they had any information.
@lildvrtyy Don’t let this flopðŸ˜ðŸ˜‚ #fyp #foryou #greenscreen
♬ Then Leave - BeatKing
Durga decided to taunt police on TikTok, by dancing in front of a screenshot of his mugshot and the post from LaGrange PD about searching for him. "Come and get me bi**h," he wrote in the video. He also joked in the video description writing: "Don't let this flop," a popular catchphrase for people looking for videos to go viral on the app. Reeves has over 24,000 followers on TikTok and his videos all have tens of thousands of views. The video of him dancing in front of the mugshot has been viewed 3.8 million times.
People commented on the video, supporting Durga. Many joked that they didn't see the video. "For legal reasons, I did not see this," one person commented, but unfortunately for Durga, not all of his followers were as willing to just ignore the video.
In an update to its Facebook post, LaGrange police wrote that the TikTok played a key role in his arrest. "Reeves Durga has been arrested. The LPD and the GBI would like to thank the public's assistance with his apprehension. Without Mr. Durga's viral TikTok video, we would not have received the amount of tips and information that ultimately led to his arrest, thank you," the department wrote.
Upon Newsweek's request for comment, GBI deferred to the press release, which said Durga was arrested for sale of cocaine and use of a communication facility during the commission of a felony on Friday.
"Police would like to thank the public for assistance which lead to the arrest of Durga," the press release said.
The LaGrange Police Department did not respond to Newsweek's emailed request for comment in time for publication.
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