Social media personality Ray Diaz has been arrested for alleged sexual assault, the Los Angeles Police Department said Friday night. (Michael Bezjian/Getty Images)
33-Year-Old YouTuber Arrested After Teenage Girlfriend Uploads Video of Alleged Assault
By Venus Upadhayaya
Venus Upadhayaya
Venus Upadhayaya reports on wide range of issues. Her area of expertise is in Indian and South Asian geopolitics. She has reported from the very volatile India-Pakistan border and has contributed to mainstream print media in India for about a decade. Community media, sustainable development, and leadership remain her key areas of interest.
YouTube star Ray Diaz has been arrested for allegedly assaulting his 17-year-old girlfriend, the Los Angeles Police Department said on July 12.
Diaz, 33 is a self-described entrepreneur and content creator with more than 304,000 subscribers on YouTube and 3.1 million followers on Instagram.
He allegedly physically and verbally assaulted his teenage girlfriend, Angelica Salek, who then uploaded the assault video on her Instagram, reported Complex.
The first video was uploaded on July 5 and was subsequently removed, however Diaz was arrested on the basis of the video.
"The LAPD is aware of several social media posts related to a social media personality, alleging physical abuse and sexual relations with a minor," the Los Angeles Police Department said in a post on Twitter.
"We take these allegations seriously. Currently, the Department has directed a group of investigators to look into these allegations," the police department wrote.
The LAPD is aware of several social media posts related to a social media personality, alleging physical abuse and sexual relations with a minor. We take these allegations seriously. Currently, the Department has directed a group of investigators to look into these allegations.
— LAPD HQ (@LAPDHQ) July 12, 2019
TV personality Ray Diaz attends the premiere of Lionsgate's 'The Perfect Match' at ArcLight Hollywood on March 7, 2016, in Hollywood, California. (Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)
Diaz was taken into custody by the elite Robbery-Homicide Division Special Assault Section with the support of the San Diego Police Department. His bail was set at $500,000, according to a Twitter post by LAPD.
"After a thorough investigation, LAPD Detectives from the elite Robbery-Homicide Division Special Assault Section arrested 33 yr old social media personality "Ray Diaz" for sexual assault in San Diego, CA, w/ the assistance of San Diego PD. Raymundo Diaz bail is set at $500,000.00," the police said in another message on Twitter.
After a thorough investigation, LAPD Detectives from the elite Robbery-Homicide Division Special Assault Section arrested 33 yr old social media personality "Ray Diaz" for sexual assault in San Diego, CA, w/ the assistance of San Diego PD. Raymundo Diaz bail is set at $500,000.00
(L-R) Mackinzie Dae, Ayla Woodruff, and Ray Diaz attend 'Rachel Cook celebrates her 23rd birthday at Buca di Beppo' in Los Angeles, California on January 23, 2018. (Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Buca di Beppo )
Diaz's Instagram account has since been changed to private. In a post on Twitter, the social media personality replied to news about his involvement in his girlfriend's missing status.
"I was just so scared always because he would yell at me," Salek told YouTuber Keemstar in an interview published on July 11 that she endured physical and emotional abuse from Diaz throughout the duration of their relationship, which she said lasted a year.
Ray Diaz attends the ZEUS New Series Premiere Party X CIROC Black Raspberry on October 19, 2018, in Burbank, California. (Arnold Turner/Getty Images for Zeus Network )
Diaz has denied the allegations of abuse and said the video uploaded by Salek to Instagram on July 5 were part of their "acting lessons."
In the video, Salek is heard crying as a man alleged to be Diaz is yelling and threatening violence toward the minor. "It was fake. It is acting lessons, and it does sound crazy, but it is an acting bar," he told HollywoodFix.com in an interview published on July 6.
The girl told YouTuber KeemStar that Diaz did not want their relationship to be public.
"It was my fault if somebody would ever have any suspicions that him and I were dating. He would yell at me for hours," the teenage girl said.
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