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Drive-By Mannequin Challenge Lands 2 in Jail (at Least)

By Christopher Coble, Esq. on December 11, 2016 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Ah, viral video memes -- is there any end to the fun? Well, maybe when they land you in jail. The latest craze, which was declared over three weeks ago, is the so-called mannequin challenge, where participants freeze in poses while the cameraperson pans the scene, replicating visuals similar to special effects shots from blockbuster action movies.

And this was all well and good until 22 gun-toting men filmed their own version, leading to at least two arrests as cops raided the residence involved and work to identify whether the firearms featured in the three-minute snippet are properly licensed.

Stand Still

When Madison County, Alabama sheriff's deputies used a "breaching technique which caused the front door to be removed from the residence" (which was easily identifiable from the Facebook-posted video), they found two handguns, one assault rifle, a single-barrel shotgun, a tactical vest, and many rounds of ammunition and multiple magazines along with several bags of marijuana. Police arrested two men, 49-year-old Kenneth Fennell White (who's far too old to be making memes anyway) and 23-year-old Terry Brown on a variety of weapons and drug charges, including "promoting prison contraband" after Brown arrived to prison with marijuana on his person.

"You have a lot of people with firearms at one address," Capt. Mike Salomonsky said of the clip, "And you have to ask yourself the question, 'Why?'" Likes, Captain Mike, it's all about the likes.

Wait for It...

Salomonsky also said that more arrests may be imminent: "There are several persons in the video who may be convicted felons. So, we're going to try to do some identification, work with the ATF and see if we can generate any charges out of that." Mere possession of a firearm by a felon is illegal in Alabama, even if it's used as a viral video prop.

Remember kids, when the cops are on Facebook, it's time for you to log off.

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