The Yucaipa couple face felony charges of assault with a deadly weapon, insurance fraud and child endangerment after investigators determined they intentionally caused a vehicle collision to collect insurance payments and posted videos of the accident on YouTube, authorities said this week.
Christopher Phelps, 40 and his wife, Kimberly, 40, were arrested Wednesday, March 22 following an investigation by the California Department of Insurance, according to a statement from the San Bernardino County Attorney’s Office.
Christopher Phelps has been charged with six counts of assault with a deadly weapon, 11 counts of insurance fraud and five counts of child endangerment, according to the DA’s office. Kimberly Phelps has been charged with two counts of endangering a child and one count of insurance fraud.
The California Department of Insurance began investigating after San Bernardino County sheriff officials became aware of the YouTube channel “BLU3 GHO57,” linked to Christopher Phelps, which includes more than 150 dashboard videos of traffic collisions and road rage incidents, officials said.
The sheriff’s department had also been summoned to an accident in Yucaipa involving Phelps in February that was deemed suspicious after investigators learned that Phelps apparently stopped for no reason, causing a truck to pull the trailer behind his vehicle, DA officials said. He later posted a video of the crash to his YouTube page.
Phelps was arrested following a sheriff’s investigation, but posted bail and was released, officials said.
Investigators found 23 crash videos related to 17 insurance claims filed by Phelps, officials said. Another 42 videos related to incidents of road rage and attempted accidents. In all, the page has 162 dash cam videos, DA officials said.
In some accidents, Phelps’ child was also in the vehicle, officials said.
The collisions ranged from July 2020 to February 2023, according to a felony complaint filed by the prosecutor’s office.
Investigators reviewed hours of video and granted multiple search warrants, although further details on the warrants were not disclosed.
Christopher Phelps is being held in prison on $500,000 bail, according to prison records. Kimberly Phelps is being held on $170,000 bail.
Detectives ask the victim or additional witnesses to call Detective Matthew Carter at 909-919-2215.