Vadim Lavrusik, a YouTube staffer, had his Twitter account hacked and filled with hoax posts after he tweeted about the active shooting unfolding at the California headquarters on Tuesday
A YouTube staffer had his Twitter account hacked and filled with hoax posts soon after he started tweeting about the active shooting unfolding at the company’s California headquarters.
Vadim Lavrusik, who is a YouTube product manager with a verified Twitter account, sent one of the first tweets out on Tuesday afternoon when a female shooter opened fire at the headquarters in San Bruno.
‘Active shooter at YouTube HQ. Heard shots and saw people running while at my desk. Now barricaded inside a room with coworkers,’ he tweeted.
His tweet was quickly retweeted more than 30,000 as people searched Twitter for news and developments on the shooting.
About an hour after his first tweet, someone hacked Lavrusik’s account and put out a series of tweets.
‘PLEASE HELP ME FIND MY FRIEND I LOST HIM IN THE SHOOTING,’ one tweet read, which included a Flipboard link to a photo of YouTube personality Keemstar.
Keemstar is not believed to have been involved in Tuesday’s shooting.
About an hour after his first tweet, someone hacked Lavrusik’s verified account and put out a series of hoax posts
One tweet included a Flipboard link to a photo of YouTube personality Keemstar, saying his friend had been lost in the shooting. Keemstar is not believed to have been involved in the shooting
Moments later, another tweet on Lavrusik’s account read: ‘my name is so gay honestly’.
Twitter promptly disabled Lavrusik’s account temporarily as they deleted the hoax tweets.
Twitter’s CEO Jack Dorsey personally responded to some people who were flagging the hoax, saying they were working to fix the issue.
‘All of us at Twitter are horrified by the shooting today at @YouTube HQ. Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with our friends and colleagues in San Bruno,’ the Twitter Safety account tweeted.
‘We are also aware of attempts by some people to deceive others with misinformation around this tragedy. We are tracking this and are taking action on anything that violates our rules.’
Lavrusik sent one of the first tweets out on Tuesday afternoon when a female shooter opened fire at the headquarters in San Bruno
Twitter promptly disabled Lavrusik’s account temporarily as they deleted the hoax tweets. Lavrusik notified followers soon after that he had his account back
Police said four people were injured by a female shooter who then shot and killed herself after going on a gun rampage.
The shooter shot at her boyfriend before turning the gun on herself on Tuesday, witnesses told Fox News.
Officers and federal agents swarmed the company’s headquarters just before 1pm after dozens of panicked employees called 911 to report gunfire.
Upon arrival, police found the woman dead inside the campus with self-inflicted gunshot wounds.
San Bruno Police Chief Ed Barberini said four people were taken to hospitals in San Francisco, three of whom had gunshot injuries.
Authorities cover a body with a yellow tarp at YouTube’s headquarters in the San Francisco Bay Area on Tuesday after a female shooter opened fire before she shot and killed herself
Terrified employees were spotted leaving YouTube’s headquarters in San Bruno, California in a line after a shooter opened fire on Tuesday afternoon
A SWAT team is picturing entering YouTube HQ in San Bruno, California, on Tuesday after reports of shots being fired inside