TikTok star arrested after Nike shoes seen in videos linked to robbery spree

TikTok star Chozen Terrell-Hannah has reportedly confessed to robbing four stores over three months. (Image credit: Chozennn/Facebook)

A popular TikTok user in the United States was arrested on Wednesday after authorities connected a pair of sneakers he wore in his videos to a string of robberies in the city of Detroit, Michigan.

Chozen Terrell-Hannah, 22, is a rising star on TikTok, known for his footwork and dance. The man, who wears a pair of white Nike sneakers in his videos, reportedly has over 1.49 lakh followers and 1.6 million likes on TikTok.

He has confessed to robbing four stores over three months, the Detroit News reported, quoting the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). He allegedly committed the crimes between December and February.

All four robberies were reportedly committed in a similar manner, with eyewitnesses describing the suspect as almost similarly dressed. The first crime took place at a 7-Eleven store in Detroit on December 1. The next robberies took place on January 13, January 26 and February 1, the Detroit News reported.

In the last robbery, investigators noticed pink or red hair emerging from the suspect’s black ski mask.

The police then received an anonymous tip-off that led them to Terrell-Hannah’s Snapchat account and eventually, his TikTok account.

His physical characterises matched with that of the robbery suspect, based on eyewitness accounts. While going through his TikTok videos, investigators noticed his partially dyed pinkish purple and a clip from September 2020, in which Terrell-Hannah was dancing in white Nike tennis shoes with red accents.

"These shoes are similar in appearance to the shoes worn in the above referenced armed robberies," the FBI task force officer reportedly wrote.

The authorities conducted surveillance outside his home and eventually arrested him on Wednesday.

Terrell-Hannah has been charged with robbery affecting interstate commerce and possessing a firearm during a violent crime, which could lead to a jail sentence of more than 20 years.