Influencer Clavicular faces charges in Florida tied to alligator shooting video

A controversial social media influencer known as Clavicular is facing charges in connection with a livestream showing him shooting an apparently already dead alligator in the Everglades, local Florida media has reported.

Clavicular, whose real name is Braden Eric Peters and is known for the practice of “looksmaxxing”, faces charges of unlawfully discharging a firearm in a public place or residential property, according to legal files obtained by television station ABC6 in South Florida. The charges stem from his alleged actions in a 26 March livestream.

The charge reportedly carries a potential fine of $1,000 and possible jail time or probation, per WFLA.

The Florida fish and wildlife conservation commission responded to the livestream with a statement on X, noting that it was “aware of a video depicting individuals in the Everglades on an airboat who appear to be discharging firearms at an alligator” and that officers were “looking into the incident”. They did not name Peters.

An attorney for Peters told People about this week’s charges: “Our client has been summoned to appear for a misdemeanor charge that stems from following the instructions of a licensed airboat guide. He relied on that guidance. No animals or people were harmed. We are confident that once the full picture is understood, people will see this for what it is.”

Two other people also charged in the incident are Andrew Morales and Yabdiel Anibal Cotto Torres. Morales is known on social media as “The Cuban Tarzan”.

Looksmaxxing is when someone seeks to “maximize” their physical attractiveness by often extreme measures such as steroids, surgery and intense exercise.

Clavicular, who has been the subject of numerous in-depth media profiles and TV appearances in recent months, is one of the most high-profile looksmaxxers who has burst into more mainstream fame. He has been involved in a series of controversies, including livestreaming himself apparently running over a pedestrian with a vehicle and being filmed chanting the lyrics to Kanye West’s Heil Hitler in a nightclub with the self-styled “misogynist influencer” Andrew Tate.

In March, Peters was arrested in Florida on battery charges. The Osceola county sheriff’s office had asked Fort Lauderdale police for assistance in arresting Peters, who investigators accused of instigating a fight between his girlfriend, 24-year-old Violet Marie Lentz, and another 19-year-old woman in February at a Kissimmee short-term rental.

According to the sheriff’s office, Peters and Lentz are suspected of involvement in an attack on the woman. Authorities alleged he later posted the violence on social media to exploit the two women, NBC Miami reports.

In a statement to ABC6, Morales’s attorney, Richard L Cooper, said: “We urge the public not to rush to judgment. Importantly, there is no allegation that any animal was injured.”