A YouTube prank troupe pulled a fast one on two Los Angeles Police Department officers this week–and, unsurprisingly, the LAPD is less than thrilled with the group’s antics.
In NelkFilmz‘s latest video, called Coke Prank on Cops, four men in an SUV are approached by two police officers, who begin asking the men questions.
After the officers tell the driver to step out of the car, his companion in the back seat pretends to freak out.
“I can’t do this, I can’t do this!” the man in the back seat yells. “We have a bunch of coke in the back. I’m sorry.”
The officers then handcuff the men and begin searching the car. When they get to the trunk, they lift up a big blanket to find the presumed contraband underneath–and it turns out to be dozens of cans of Coca-Cola, or Coke.
The video had been viewed roughly half a million times in three days.
Kyle Forgeard, one of the men in the SUV, told CBS Los Angeles that the arresting officers took the prank in stride.
“The cops were so cool about it, we didn’t think they were going to be like that,” Forgeard told CBS. “We thought they were going to get mad.”
The arresting officers may have been understanding, but an LAPD sergeant told the outlet that the prank could have tied up officers who could have otherwise responded to other calls.
“(The officers are) not able to respond to calls that may come out where there’s an actual need for police resources,” Sgt. Michael Fox told CBS. “This could lead to a use of force, somebody could get injured, and that’s a little bit more concerning than anything.”
Despite the unenthusiastic response from law enforcement, Forgeard said he and the rest of his group of pranksters would continue to perform pranks, with the hopes of eventually landing a television show.
“We’re always trying to take things to the next level, we never want to do stuff that’s been done,” Forgeard told CBS. “We pride ourselves on originality, so we took it to the next level.”