YouTuber back behind bars after fleeing to Qatar over armed kidnapping charges

YouTuber Corey Pritchett has been returned to the US after fleeing to Qatar to escape charges of kidnapping and threatening two women in November 2024.

26-year-old Corey Pritchett has garnered just under four million subscribers on YouTube — but he won’t be uploading videos anytime soon.

On November 24, 2024, Pritchett spent the day with two women, aged 19 and 20. The three met up at a gym in Houston, Texas before driving ATVs together and going bowling.

The women told police “there was a complete change in behavior” after their outings, with the YouTuber holding them at gunpoint while driving 100 MPH on I-10.

Reports state that Pritchett threatened to “kill” the two victims after taking their phones, claiming he was being followed. “He believes someone is after him and that he is accused of setting someone’s car on fire,” they said in a statement to law enforcement.

Eventually, Pritchett stopped to let the women out on the side of the road. They walked for over an hour before a stranger allowed them to use their phone to call for help.

Corey Pritchett charged with two counts of armed kidnapping

The YouTuber was charged with two counts of aggravated kidnapping on December 26 — but by then, he’d already fled to Qatar, where he mocked the warrant for his arrest in several social media videos.

“I’m on the run, guys. I kidnapped somebody, I got them in the back of my trunk. So, you gotta come find me… I’m in Dubai, I’m running, running!” he boasted on TikTok.

As of January 23, 2025, Pritchett has been returned to the United States. The YouTuber was taken into custody on January 17 and has reportedly enlisted the aid of a Public Defender to represent him in court.

He addressed his return in a now-deleted January 5 Instagram post, saying, “United States… I’m on the way. I have a meeting with Houston.”

As of Wednesday, January 22, Pritchett was being held on a $100K bond, with his next court date listed for Thursday, January 23. He claims he has $0 in monthly income, no assets, and has worked as a “self-employed” content creator for the past nine-and-a-half years, per an affidavit.