Law&Crime Sidebar - 'Clavicular’ Caught in Wild Alligator Shooting Scandal

Episode Date: May 8, 2026

Notorious “looksmaxxing” influencer Clavicular, whose real name is Braden Peters, is back in the headlines and facing new criminal charges in Florida after allegedly firing a handgun at what appeared to be a dead alligator during a livestream. Along with two others, he is charged with unlawfully discharging a firearm in a public place. Law&Crime’s Jesse Weber and victim’s rights lawyer John Phillips break down the bizarre misdemeanor charge, his apparent defense strategy, and how this case connects to his mounting legal troubles.PLEASE SUPPORT THE SHOW: Grow your own audience today – go to https://www.opus.pro/sidebar for 1 week free plus 50% off the first 3 months of Opus Pro. HOST:Jesse Weber: https://twitter.com/jessecordweberLAW&CRIME SIDEBAR PRODUCTION:YouTube Management - Bobby SzokeVideo Editing - Michael Deininger, Christina O'Shea, Alex Ciccarone, & Jay CruzScript Writing & Producing - Savannah Williamson & Juliana BattagliaGuest Booking - Alyssa Fisher & Diane KayeSocial Media Management - Vanessa BeinSTAY UP-TO-DATE WITH THE LAW&CRIME NETWORK:Watch Law&Crime Network on YouTubeTV: https://bit.ly/3td2e3yWhere To Watch Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3akxLK5Sign Up For Law&Crime's Daily Newsletter: https://bit.ly/LawandCrimeNewsletterRead Fascinating Articles From Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3td2IqoLAW&CRIME NETWORK SOCIAL MEDIA:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawandcrimeTwitter: https://twitter.com/LawCrimeNetworkFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/lawandcrimeTwitch: https://www.twitch.tv/lawandcrimenetworkTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lawandcrimeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

More trouble for popular influencer clavicular. He reportedly has now been criminally charged in connection with the alleged shooting at what appears to be a dead alligator. Serious charge. Bizarre story. We're going to break down this case, how this fits into his other recent alleged episodes, too, and what we can predict might happen. Welcome to Sidebar.

Presented by Law and Crime, I'm Jesse Weber. Okay, so as you're watching this and you've been following us here at Law and Crime and you're into content creation or you're putting things out on social media, you might be wondering, how are we able to get all of these clips up so quickly on these rapidly developing stories? Well, we use something called Opus Clip. This is an all-in-one AI editor that makes it so easy to cut, create, and upload videos across any platform. Through AI, Opus Clip generates B-roll, reframes footage, and it even cleans up audio. Again, so easy. You just visit opus.pro slash sidebar. You sign up, you upload, and in minutes, you will have

perfectly edited clips ready to go for TikTok, shorts, reels, clip is really your one-stop shopping. Having a tool like Obis clip means that our producers can get you viral courtroom updates instantly. This is the most powerful tool there is to share ideas and edit like a pro. So go to opus.pro slash sidebar to get a free week and then 50% off. So Clavicular is back in the headlines again for all the wrong reasons. We just did another episode. We had a recent episode where we did a deep dive into how this very popular looks match. taxing influencer was sued by a female influencer regarding allegations of non-consensual sex and improperly injecting her face with a drug.

You can watch that whole episode out right now on Long Crimes YouTube page if you're interested in that. But now it looks like he has been criminally charged for a completely different incident. It is being reported that clavicular, real name Braden Peters, has been hit with a charge in Florida of unlawfully discharging a firearm. in a public place or residential property. Now, this, for example, is according to court documents that were obtained by NBC Miami, but this seems to be in connection to a live stream where clavicular and two of his associates

are accused of firing a handgun at what appears to be and what has been described at a dead alligator. This reportedly happened at Francis S. Taylor Everglades Wildlife Management Area, this boat ramp dock on or about March 26. And by the way, due to YouTube reasons, we can't show the actual video or videos, but we will show you some screenshots. Now, both 20-year-old clavicular and two other online personalities, they have been charged.

So Andrew Morales, 22 years old, known under his influencer handle as Cuban Tarzan, and also 26-year-old Yabdil Anabal-Codo-Torres, or Baby Alien. And by the way, the specific charge doesn't indicate that he or his colleagues physically harm the alligator. However, this comes after the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said in March that it was, quote, aware of a video depicting individuals in the Everglades on an airboat who appear to be discharging firearms at an alligator. And they apparently launched their own investigation.

Now, our understanding is that it is illegal under Florida law to kill or attempt to harm an alligator without. authorization from the commission. Now, two sides to every story, right? We're going to get into this a little bit more. Clavicular's legal team has come out. So his attorneys, Stephen Kramer, and Jeffrey Neiman, they made a statement, and it says, quote, 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.

Now, that's interesting, right? So both kind of, you know, a legal defense and also a PR defense, because obviously this is getting a lot of attention. Arguably, this could be hurting his reputation in some way. So two sides of this. And you see that many times with a public figure who's charged with a crime. Morales's attorney, Richard L. Cooper, also released a statement saying, quote, we urge the public not to rush to judgment.

Importantly, there is no allegation that any animal was injured and the available evidence does not support the sensationalized narrative that is circulated online. My client relied on information and guidance provided by those in authority and had no criminal intent. Now, they're all scheduled to be arraigned on May 20th, and we'll see if it advances there. But remember, this comes at a critical time for Mr. Peters, Clavicular. This comes after a series of unfortunate alleged incidents and headlines, right? clavicular, who has gained quite a following. According to Instagram, he reportedly has almost 600,000 followers, over 145,000 on X, almost 940,000 on TikTok, over 338,000 on the streaming platform

kick. This is a guy who preaches about improving your looks and ascending, providing more value in that way. Again, looks maxing. Not only was he hit with that lawsuit that I mentioned before, but he's also facing other charges in Florida. He was arrested in charge. He was arrested in charged with battery and criminal conspiracy to commit battery in connection with a fight that he allegedly provoked between two women and allegedly posted online and what investigators said was an effort to exploit these women. He also reportedly overdosed on a live stream recently and was taken to the hospital. All right, I want to break this down. I want to break down what it can mean for him if the other incidents I just talked about could affect this case. So I want to bring in John

Phillips, victim's rights lawyer, to talk more about this. So John, thank you so much for taking the time. How serious is this charge? It's pretty serious. It's not something anybody would want to face, right? And it seems like prosecutors are going to take it seriously and push for a conviction. But at the end of the day, compared to some of the things we cover, it is a misdemeanor of just shooting a gun essentially in public without any provocation. Well, theoretically, if he's convicted, is it possible, and I'm going to get more into the charge, is it possible you could spend time in jail?

Anything's possible, right? That's the legal answer. I just, I don't necessarily see it unless he infuriates the prosecutors or the judge because it is a misdemeanor. But it's also done very arrogantly on video. as everything kind of that follows him tends to happen. He does have the other matters going on. He is a bit of a provocateur. It just depends on the judge wanting to set a precedent

and giving him a little bit of time to sit in jail and think about it. Before I get into the charge, whatever he's accused of doing online or whatever the other cases may be, or if he is controversial or if he is a provocateur, that's not going to necessarily influence a judge's decision, right, to set an example about like, because look, let's be honest, right? What are we seeing a lot online?

We're seeing younger people doing all these things, gaining a following. They've been criticized for it. But even if a judge has a personal belief that what he's producing is not helpful to society, and that's, you know, that's the judge's opinion, that's not going to affect. the sentence. I kind of disagree because certainly it's not it's not going to affect whether he accepts a plea or or is convicted right. That's up to a jury. But when it comes to the sentencing itself, think about it. Think about a sentencing hearing. Again, this is this is small, you know, sentencing hearing. But there there are other factors which go into sentencing about the character of the

of the defendant. And again, this is, I don't want to make a mountain out of, out of a relative molehill. Nobody got hurt, right? The alligator apparently was already dead. But, but you can take into accountability the, the, the nature this will have on other people. And, you know, one of, a good judge would say, part of my job here sitting on this bench is to deter crime. And if I let you just walk away. How have I deterred crime? And in fact, I'm encouraging crime. I'm encouraging others to follow in your footsteps. So, sir, we're going to give you a week in jail. I think that's how that would play out. But it can come in in Florida when it comes to ultimately a judge's discretion in deciding a sentence. Let me go into the actual statute. And I want to talk

about how they might prove that. So, and correct me, I think this is the correct one, 790, 0.15. It says accept as provided in these different subsections, any person who knowingly discharges a firearm in any public place or in the right of way of any paved public road, highway or street, who knowingly discharges any firearm over the right of way of any paved public road, highway, or street, or over any occupied premises, or who recklessly or negligently discharges a firearm outdoors on any property used primarily as the site of a dwelling or zoned exclusively for residential use, commits a misdemeanor of the first degree. This section does not apply to a person lawfully defending life or property or performing

official duties requiring the discharge of a firearm or to a person discharging a firearm on public roads or properties expressly approved for hunting by the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission or Florida Forest Service. What does that mean to you? Is it very straightforward to prove this? And let's go back to it. How important is that purported video laying this out or allegedly laying this out? The video is absolutely important.

And so is one line in that video. And that's can we dump around into it, right? That shows intent. That shows I'm going to fire this gun not because I have to, but because I want to. And certainly, if you're out hunting with a license, that's one thing. But getting a boat captain, an airboat captain at that, to give you permission means nothing under Florida law. And let's talk about that. Because you saw the lawyer's statement, right?

The lawyer statement was like, he was relying on the guidance of this guy. That's not a defense. It's not a defense. So if I have a chauffeur in a car and I say, can I, you know, can I shoot my gun out the know and he says, sure, why not? Well, wait a minute, wait a minute. Isn't the, of course, you're in a, okay, different, right? You're on the highway.

You should know better. 100% different. If you're in this specific area of Florida, which not everybody's been to and you're being driven out there on this tour and they're like, yeah, you can, you can fire out there. Isn't it a little different? No, ignorance of the law is no excuse. And, you know, that's what the whole meat of the case is going to be is. is arguing that can I dump around into it,

sure is some sort of tantamount license. And it's not. And the Florida law is pretty clear on that, that he wouldn't otherwise be able to give consent to break the law. And I'll tell you something else. You know, people know that I represented Joe Exotic and got into the Carroll Baskin world.

And I've dealt with a lot of tigers and a lot of things. Florida wildlife, does not mess around. Like they are one of the most stern Oklahoma, probably number one, as we learned. But, but, you know, state and federal wildlife agents take these things very seriously. And their law enforcement officers are going to be the ones explaining why an airboat captain can't give consent on how to use firearms just for, your own purpose to dump around into it into a dead animal. Could he, if he's being brought up on this charge and, you know, saying I was relying,

can he file a lawsuit? I mean, anybody can file a lawsuit. But would he have a legitimate claim against the airboat captain, the company there? You know what I'm saying? I do know what you're saying. And if he called, would I take it? This is kind of how I'm looking. And I, you know, I do love a celebrity case every now and again.

I don't think so because you're looking. at kind of the false arrest, malicious prosecution, negligent giving of advice that led me to be arrested and prosecuted for what damages, ultimately, your attorney's fees, I guess. Harm to his reputation? I don't know. I mean, he's getting, we're not the only ones reporting this. It's like, I think the New York Times even published it.

I just, I, you know, law and crime is the thought leader in America. Well, thank you. I appreciate it. But New York Times. But I just, I mean, you can sue for anything and you can certainly do a demand letter, but I have a feeling that that's not going to, you know, going to go very far. And I don't think it fits his style either. You know, filing that lawsuit isn't very looks maxing.

You know, you'd want to win it. You'd want to be like, oh, ha, ha, I got away with it. Ultimately, I didn't even have to go to jail. Like, I don't think he practically would, but certainly if he called, I'd take his call and think about it. Well, look, his lawyers and this other individual's lawyers release statements looking like they're going to fight it. So you mean, you say maybe not looks maxing, you know, try to show. I did nothing wrong. Where do you think this goes?

Do you think that they move forward towards a trial and mount a defense? And what would that defense look like? Again, I do think you're going to have to argue a level of. of licensing because the video shows the crime. And again, it's coupled with intent of, and I'm looking at my note again, can we dump around into it? I just, I don't know how you get out of that.

I don't think the fact that the alligator was dead or alive matters whatsoever because it's not killing or harming wildlife. It's just discharging the firearm here. And ultimately, I just think the prosecutors are going to make an offer that he can't refuse, you know, make a donation to whatever cause or, you know, just get past it. But right now, this is the hot thing and they're not going to let it go while it's, while it's, you know, being reported. So in other words, you say there's a possibility they could work on some sort of plea deal

and maybe not get any jail time. or some, you know, probation, maybe, you know, community service, a fine. What about the other cases? Those other, I mentioned, you know, you put the lawsuit to the side, but that other, those other misdemeanor charges he's facing, can that factor into this case at all? Yeah, I'm looking at it. It looks like a battery warrant from Osceola was already active. Allegedly that he instigated this fight between two women and recorded it.

Right. And that's, like, I've got a 14, 11, and 8-year-old. So I'm a little bit on that periphery. I know the six, seven of the world, you know, but I'm not, I'm not into this guy particularly. You know, I'm more into the Stivo Joe exotic era of things. This is age maybe. But anytime you're a reckless individual,

even if it's for views, there's going to be prosecutors and police that don't want you, or in government agents that don't want you in their city and feel like they've got to set a standard. And that's long been the case with, you know, hard rockers and rappers that have found themselves in trouble. But now we've got this, you know, level of influencer. And it's one thing if you're, you know, you're Jake Paul or your Mr. Beast. You're not really harming anybody.

It's another when, when taunting and bullying is your, is your, is your, is your social media influence. he would probably counter that and say he's trying to help people, but I'm not his lawyer, I'm not his, but I think that he would say he was trying to help people. Let me ask you this. Is there possible there could be any other charges? Because, you know, I said at the beginning, it's not directly related to the gator, right? I mean, is there anything else that he could be charged with with respect to this alleged incident? The one thing that I was trying to figure out this morning looking at this is, you know,

they're charging him with just a firearm. in a public space. And I believe that area was a level of a protected park, right? I'm talking about Everglades kind of place, I think. And I was wondering if there might be a heightened state or federal charge because you're essentially discharging a firearm in a park on government land. That was the thing this morning, literally sitting in criminal court down in Jacksonville, Duval County.

I was reading about it thinking, is there, is there an upcharge here? But FWC, Florida Wildlife, tends to be pretty aggressive. So I'd assume that this is where they're headed. First of all, I'm very flattered that while you're in court, you're thinking of Jesse Weber sidebar. The judge says to you, Mr. Phillips, you didn't answer my question. Sorry, thinking about Jesse Weber. That's fine. I think that would be a good defense.

Judge Salem would have a good defense. loved that and said, tell him hello, I'm sure. Thank you so much. It's interesting. Look, it's an interesting development that we spoke about him recently with respect to his lawsuit. We'll see where this develops, but always appreciate you taking the time, John. Thank you. A pleasure. So all we have for you right now here on Sidebar. Thank you so much for joining us. And as always, please subscribe on YouTube, Apple Podcast, Spotify, wherever you should get your podcast. You can also check us out on NBC's Peacock as well. If you want to follow me, X Instagram, my News Nation show, Jesse Weber Live, Monday,

you Friday 11 p.m. Eastern. I'll see you next time, everybody.