A famous YouTube star who was charged with the attempted murder of a police officer screamed at a judge in a bizarre rant during his arraignment hearing.
Erik Van Conover, 35, a content creator who shares luxury real estate properties with his nearly three million subscribers, was arrested on March 15 after he allegedly mowed down New Hampshire Bartlett Patrol Officer Cameron Emmett during a routine traffic stop.
Emmett was attempting to pull over Conover after he sped past him in his Jeep going 55-60 mph in a 35 mph zone on West Side Road, Bartlett Police Sgt. Brian Moffitt said in court, The Conway Daily Sun reported.
After allegedly running over the officer and throwing him an estimated 20-40ft, Conover continued to drive another 28 miles until he was officially pulled over and arrested, according to court documents obtained by the outlet.
During his court hearing, Conover said the entire situation is just a ‘massive misunderstanding,’ insisting that he is a ‘public figure’ because of his large following online.
‘I have everything right here, and it’s all falsified,’ he said as he lifted up police paperwork related to his case.
‘If anyone dares try to test my mental competence, I will eviscerate every single person with my intelligence right now. And that’s not being egotistical,’ the YouTuber added.
In another moment, he shouted: ‘Mom! Thank God, look at me!,’ as his parents joined the virtual court hearing.
His father and mother then tried to calm him down, as she told her son: ‘Eric, Eric, we’re here to help you.’
Conover also took a moment to pray, reciting the ‘Our Father’ prayer as he donned a blue prison jumpsuit.
The content creator insisted that police allegedly have the wrong person, as he told Magistrate Judge Mark Howard that he is from New York, not Absecon, New Jersey, like authorities claim he is.
‘This seems to be a massive misunderstanding. I’m exactly who I say I am. I’m a YouTuber,’ he continued.
Moffitt said the incident started after Emmett caught Conover speeding nearly two times over the legal limit.
Emmett then pursued Conover and managed to stop him, but that is when the moment turned violent.
‘While Officer Emmett exited his vehicle, he moved around to the rear of his cruiser, and you, Mr. Conover, then backed his vehicle rapidly, pointed it directly at Officer Emmett, and accelerated at him, striking him at a reasonably high rate of speed,’ Moffitt said in court.
‘We’re very fortunate that an amateur drone operator was in the air when he saw the interaction and was able to capture it on video.’
Emmett suffered a leg injury from the incident.
After allegedly hitting the officer, Conover continued to drive to the town of Carroll and was eventually chased down by deputies with the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office.
The entire pursuit lasted 38 miles until Conover was stopped by state police officers who deployed spike strips on the road to stop him.
Keith Blair, a Carroll County Attorney representing the state, said: ‘You know, the state’s position is that when a law enforcement officer signals for you to pull over and stop, you should do so.’
Meanwhile, Conover’s attorney, Nicholas Howie, said his client ‘denies these allegations’ and ‘does not agree with the reports as they are stated.’
During court, Moffitt brought up that the YouTube star had been arrested just days earlier on DWI charges.
Conover claimed he was only charged with possession of marijuana during that incident. He was later released on personal recognizance.
Conway Circuit Judge Charles Greenhalgh ordered Conover to be held without bail pending his probable cause hearing on Tuesday.
DailyMail.com contacted the Carroll County Attorney Office and Howie for comment.