A Bay Area man claims that two teens asked him to buy them White Claws at a Trader Joe’s store and then let on to what was really happening.
The video documenting the episode comes from creator hotboiweez (@hotboiweez), generating a staggering 6.7 million views as of Thursday morning, following its original posting on Wednesday.
In it, the creator shows the parking lot of a Trader Joe’s that appears to be located in Emeryville, California, according to a few of the commenters with regional knowledge. He tells his story about the teens approaching him and then contends, via on-screen caption, “Whole time I knew it was a sting lol.”
He goes on to observe, “But they got the police in that van right there.” The POV, out the creator’s driver-side window, shows the creator driving up to the van to show a young man standing beside it. According to the creator, this is the undercover officer in question.
“That’s entrapment right there, man,” the creator tells the man by the van.
The man flashes him a peace sign and says, “Have a good night, brother.”
Again, the creator charges, “That’s entrapment. Don’t be doing that.”
More on entrapment in California
According to the Law Office of John D. Rogers in Newport Beach, California, “Entrapment is a legal defense used in criminal cases where the defendant argues that they were induced by law enforcement to commit a crime that they otherwise would not have committed. In California, entrapment is defined as conduct by a law enforcement officer that would cause a normally law-abiding person to commit a crime.”
As an example, the article posits, “If an undercover police officer offers a large sum of money to a person to sell drugs, and the person agrees to do so, this could be considered entrapment.” However, if the person has illegal drugs available to sell, that in itself is a crime, and that person “cannot claim entrapment on the grounds that they were induced to buy the drugs.”
The article also notes it’s a defense that can only be raised at trial. It’s not possible to plead guilty and then claim entrapment.
@hotboiweez Tried to get me 🤣
♬ original sound – hotboiweez
What commenters thought
Commenters were quick to make themselves heard.
“Worthless policing,” one criticized.
Another added, “As if California doesn’t have a plethora of worse crimes they should be prioritizing.”
Several commented on the man by the van, with one saying, “Not him throwing up the deuces lol,” using the vernacular for showing the peace sign.
The video led one to reasonably wonder, “Do they have White Claws at Trader Joe’s?”
According to Delish, Trader Joe’s has been selling White Claws since 2019.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Trader Joe’s via online media form, the creator via TikTok and Instagram direct message, and the Emeryville Police Department via email.
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