A 28-year-old internet personality known for deliberately inciting confrontations was taken into custody Wednesday after a shooting erupted outside a courthouse in Clarksville, Tennessee.
Dalton Eatherly, who operates online as Chud the Builder, was involved in a physical altercation with another man outside the Montgomery County courthouse that escalated into gunfire, according to the district attorney general's office. Deputies arriving at the scene found two adult males wounded from the incident.
Both men received medical treatment. One was taken to Vanderbilt Clarksville hospital, while the other was airlifted to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville. Both are listed in stable condition.
District Attorney Robert Nash said Eatherly allegedly fired the shots and appeared to have shot himself in the arm during the confrontation. The district attorney's office is reviewing law enforcement findings to determine what formal criminal charges will be filed.
The Montgomery County sheriff's office commended courthouse deputies for their rapid response. "Thanks to the quick actions of our courthouse deputies, this situation was likely kept from becoming much worse," a statement said.
Eatherly has built an online following through live streams where he deliberately uses racial slurs to provoke public confrontations. His detention comes just days after he was arrested in Nashville on allegations he refused to pay a nearly $400 restaurant bill at a steakhouse. During that incident, he allegedly became disruptive and made racial remarks inside the establishment.
He was charged with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, and theft of services following the restaurant incident and held on a $5,000 bond.
Author James Rodriguez: "Another day, another arrest for someone trying to turn real-world chaos into digital content. The pattern here is hard to ignore."
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