UPDATE 5/17: The charges against Thordan Smash have been dropped.
Original story follows.
YouTube content creator Thordan Smash has been arrested and charged with second-degree assault after being arrested during a stream. The YouTuber is fairly successful on the platform, having accumulated over 220,000 subscribers by making videos exclusively about Respawn’s battle royale hero shooter Apex Legends. Thordan also has a smaller Twitch channel and previously held managerial roles on a couple of Apex Legends esports teams.
On December 21, 2023, while Thordan Smash was livestreaming on Twitch, an officer entered the content creator’s room and arrested him, resulting in the stream ending abruptly. Since then, fans have speculated about what caused the incident, as Thordan has remained generally silent about it, with many believing that he was swatted while streaming. However, a month prior, on November 11, Thordan’s ex-wife Julia had made a cryptic post on Twitter that said simply, “Never again.” Many people wondered if her message was related to Thordan’s arrest.
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Dexerto has obtained Thordan Smash’s arrest records, which show that the police entered the content creator’s house with a felony arrest warrant. Thordan was released on bond on December 25 after being charged with second-degree assault for strangulation and a class-two misdemeanor for criminal mischief of real or personal property with a value between $300 to $1000. Dexerto clarified that, in Colorado where Thordan lives, second-degree assault has a mandatory sentence of between five and 16 years in prison.
A preliminary hearing for the case was held on January 23, though the outcome has not yet been revealed. For his part, Thordan Smash made his own Twitter post, presumably after the hearing. The YouTuber stated that he “look[s] forward to clearing [his] name in the coming weeks” and revealed that he has photos that will prove his innocence. In the replies to the post, the content creator mentions that he has been “dealing with this since November,” seemingly corroborating the speculation that the case involves his ex-wife Julia and her cryptic tweet.
On social media, fans of Thordan Smash seem split, with some voicing their support for the content creator while others have announced that they will be unsubscribing or unfollowing. Of course, it goes without saying that Thordan Smash should be considered innocent until proven guilty. However, usually, if a creator is on the receiving end of the law, it’s an arrest for an unpaid parking ticket or other mundane reason. While some viewers tune in to watch their favorite content creators specifically for the drama or excitement, few are forgiving if those online personalities get in serious trouble in real life.