Bodega Incident

On April 5, 2023, a recording of a private Discord call between Daniel, his management, and a troll impersonating Olivia VanderWaal was uploaded to Reddit by user u/cybercrimer. In the recording, Daniel is heard and partially seen getting into an altercation with a bodega employee after being asked to leave the premises. The catalyst for this incident began when u/Zokmonkee of the r/Daniellarson subreddit posted multiple video recordings^[2] of himself harassing Daniel, beginning at a restaurant and later continuing at a bodega.

The "fans" repeatedly asked Daniel questions, including references to illicit drugs and claimed to be his friends. Daniel became increasingly agitated and is heard in the videos talking about an unspecified "security" force, and threatening to contact law enforcement on u/Zokmonkee. Daniel can be seen speaking about harassment to the employee he would soon punch, suggesting that earlier interactions may have influenced the events leading to being kicked out of the store. However, there is no documented evidence that these teenagers encouraged Daniel to assault the bodega employee, whereas others involved, such as his management and "Olivia", are documented as encouraging such behavior.

“

We originally found Daniel in "The Gem Saloon" and talked to him inside. Shortly after we restaurant have scared him away and he walked out of the restaurant under our noses. We spotted him shortly after on the same block little Inidia was on and when we confronted him he went inside

- Zokmonkee

”

Following this, the "fans" continue to follow Daniel throughout the store. At one point, one of them calls out his name from different aisles, after which Daniel eventually contacts law enforcement. The recording capturing most of the incident began at this point. The call took place in a private Discord server called "Daniel Larson HQ," where his "managers" and the newest fake Olivia VanderWaal communicated with Daniel.

In this call, Daniel is seen being kicked out of Little India Bodega by an employee for recording inside the store and causing a disturbance. Daniel claims that he had been instructed by police to remain at the location, although it is not confirmed whether he had contacted law enforcement. Daniel also claims that he had previously attempted to call the police due to the five teenagers who were following him around inside the bodega. Despite his attempts to explain, the employee continues to ask him to leave and is seen pushing him toward the exit. The camera cuts in and out, but Daniel is shown exiting through the door.

The fake Olivia VanderWaal encourages Daniel to defend himself, including suggesting he should spit on the employee. Daniel begins screaming that police had "told him to wait in there", but his statements are ignored as the employee continues to instruct him to leave. While the situation unfolded, the trolls calling him encouraged Daniel to assault the man multiple times.

Daniel accuses the employee of previously hitting him multiple times. The employee, now near the store entrance, begins to contact law enforcement and tells Daniel that he will be arrested if he does not leave immediately. Daniel then appears to act on the encouragement he had received, lunging at the employee and attempting to punch him. The employee fights back by punching Daniel in the eye and pushing him to the ground. Daniel can be heard shouting, “I HAVE YOU ON FILM,” although the footage does not clearly capture the altercation due to a shaky or obscured camera. Daniel then turns his camera back on and yells that he was injured after being pushed to the ground, claiming that his knee and eye were bleeding.

The managers and fake Olivia VanderWaal encourage Daniel to leave the bodega, only to be met with Daniel refusing to listen to their requests, as he stresses the need to pursue unspecified legal action against both the employee and the five teenagers who had been following him earlier. He also claims that he is waiting outside the bodega for police and EMS to tend to his injuries.

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Transcript

Injuries

Daniel did not leave the situation unscathed as he somehow manages to do with most of his incidents. Daniel claims he is waiting for paramedics due to the black eye he sustained during the altercation, and later a photo of the injury was uploaded to Reddit by user u/tawnypunani. Approximately an hour after the incident, Daniel reveals that he is still awaiting emergency medical services, afraid that he may have sustained a concussion.

Later, it was reported Daniel had been discharged from the hospital. While in the emergency room, he was evaluated for a possible concussion, and it was found that he did not sustain one. No serious injuries were reported.

Later that night, Daniel uploads another video from the hospital. It has not been confirmed whether the footage was recorded during his initial visit or a subsequent one. The black eye is present in the video. In the video, Daniel claims he was attacked by two fans in New York City in 2023. He claims he did not sustain any fractures, but has a significant laceration on his nose, which he says is his only injury.

During his hospital stay, Daniel was fitted with a large gauze bandage on his nose. However, in later Tiktok videos of himself touring the 9/11 memorial and other attractions, the bandage is no longer present.

On April 6, 2023, Daniel uploaded an image of his hospital visit and discharge instructions to his TikTok page. In the document shown, the only injuries recorded are "Diagnosis: Abrasion.".