Cool Kicks LA Owner Arrested in Raid by the LAPD

What began as another online auction stream on WhatNot yesterday for Cool Kicks LA got turned upside down when the shop’s owner, Adeel Shams, was arrested by the LAPD on a livestream.

In the official booking record by the police department, Shams was apprehended by the LAPD’s Bunco/Forgery agency, which is a division that specializes in cases linked to fraud, counterfeit goods, and other similar offenses. In the video of the stream that was reshared on Reddit, Adeel initially believed he was a victim of a “swatting” prank, which involves bringing a large group of emergency response members to a particular address.

While there are no official statements provided by the department relating to the arrest at the time of writing, it’s currently being alleged that Adeel’s arrest was linked to the possibility of the store selling counterfeit products. Images also began circulating online of law enforcement impounding dozens of Nike sneakers.

The first Cool Kicks store opened back in 2014 in Virginia, before Adeel opened its now-popular location on Melrose in LA in 2016. The store has amassed a huge following on social media, where they frequently post videos of celebrities making huge purchases at the store.

According to the booking record, Adeel was released at midnight earlier today. A court date for this case has been set for Oct. 23 at the LA Superior Court. Check back soon for new developments.

UPDATE (10/04): Coolkicks has shared an official statement regarding the raid by the LAPD, confirming that the police seized a small amount of Nike sneakers from the store that were believed to be stolen. The statement also says that there were no allegations from the police that any of the products were inauthentic. Stay tuned for new updates in the weeks ahead.