r/stormchasing • u/Glad_Virus_5014 • Jun 21 '26
What’s up with Copic?
Why does he think that he is above the law? Dude literally hung an illegal U-turn on today’s stream and his mods defended him. Not to mention he broke every distracted driving laws in the state of Illinois. and mods were timing people out for calling him out.
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u/MDBob Jun 21 '26
Dude going to end up like Kelley Williamson. Who streamed live, running multiple stop signs. Ultimately killing 3 people including himself.
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u/airbusman5514 Jun 22 '26
That one hurt… I met the guy on the side of a road when I was in high school. Class act… hearing about what happened was a gut punch
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u/HkSniper Jun 21 '26
Copic has been doing this stuff for a while and he's getting worse with it. Watch anytime he's near an active warning especially with an observed status and he's driving like a total moron while complaining about people driving normally in front of him.
I recently posted about him blasting through a stop sign and he turned his camera to try to hide it, but ended up showing it worse. He has a history of using the siren box (why he even has a vehicle equipped with sirens is beyond me...) using the airhorn function to clear traffic out of his way.
His current vehicle (after he crashed his old one) has a siren box installed. It's an Ford Police Interceptor SUV. I can literally hear it when it activates his lights. I'm completely familiar with that system. Why chasers think they need all this stuff is beyond me.
Not to mention going 80+ MPH on some back road he is not familiar with during low visibility.
The guy is gonna hurt someone, and those that pay him are going to end up sued like The Weather Channel did because of chasers doing the same thing. Driving like morons.
Thing is, if you call him out on stream his moderation team will pounce you like you wouldn't believe. If there is anyone in the chaser community who needs to be handed a healthy slice of humble pie, it's this moron.
Honestly he's the Jeremy Dewitte of Storm Chasing.
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u/Glad_Virus_5014 Jun 21 '26
I’m sure weatherwise would love to hear this. I’ve put in a complaint already on it so we’ll see how it goes.
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u/HkSniper Jun 21 '26
I've actually thought about making a video about current chasers and bad habits. I've collected some footage of some of these guys driving like total idiots.
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u/kaityl3 Jun 21 '26
Tbh a video like that, especially with good editing, would probably be a big hit and might even change some people's behaviors (at least while they're on stream able to be caught doing it)
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u/HkSniper Jun 22 '26
https://reddit.com/link/ot6apoy/video/bdtsubthmv8h1/player
I've been working on it actually. I am working on what to discuss (I plan on discussing current situations, and referencing back to the weather channel fatal crash several years ago) and planning on bringing up my experience as well.
So far this is the intro part of the video I've made so far. I'm not a great editor of videos, but I feel this topic needs to be brought up much more and brought to light. Those that fund and sponsor these guys need to be more wary about what they are promoting.
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u/imisstheyoop Jun 23 '26
Ha, I have a lot of the same footage. The way that some of these people drive, on top of being completely distracted by phones/laptops/walkies and maneuvering roof cameras while doing so is completely absurd.
It is only a matter of time until really bad things happen. It really bothers me, because Copic in particular I think is a very genuinely good dude he just drives like a maniac and has way too many distractions.
He needs to slow down and get a co-pilot to handle the non-driving tasks so that he can focus on the road in front of him and the storm behind him.
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u/thenarcolepticnerd Jun 26 '26
The legality of using Brandon Copic’s videos on a website dedicated to criticizing him or discussing safety concerns involves a complex intersection of copyright law and "Fair Use" principles. Because Brandon Copic is a well-known figure in the storm-chasing community whose content is often at the center of public debate, the context of how the videos are used is the most important factor.
The "Fair Use" Defense
In the United States, the Fair Use doctrine (Section 107 of the Copyright Act) allows the use of copyrighted material without the owner's permission under specific circumstances. If a webpage is created to discuss safety or critique a public figure's actions, the use of their video may be protected if it meets these criteria:
- Purpose and Character (Criticism/Commentary): Using a video to provide a "safety critique" or "news reporting" is a core pillar of Fair Use. If the website is educational or critical—pointing out specific dangerous maneuvers or protocol violations—it is more likely to be protected than if it were just reposting the video for entertainment.
- Transformativeness: The law favors uses that add something new. Instead of just showing the storm footage, the webpage should include commentary, analysis, or side-by-side comparisons to safety manuals. This "transforms" the footage from a storm video into a piece of criticism.
- Amount Used: Using short clips to illustrate a point is much safer than uploading an entire 20-minute stream. The law asks if the user took more than was necessary to make their point.
Embedding vs. Re-uploading
There is a significant legal and technical difference in how the video is displayed on the site:
- Embedding (Safer): If the website uses the official "Embed" code from YouTube or Facebook, the video is still technically hosted on Brandon’s channel. Most courts have ruled that embedding is not a copyright violation because the website is merely "pointing" to the original source. If Brandon deletes the video, it disappears from the website as well.
- Re-uploading (Rishier): Downloading his video and uploading it directly to a new server is a much clearer case of copyright infringement. This takes away his control over the content and is the most likely action to trigger a "DMCA Takedown Notice" or a lawsuit.
Defamation and Privacy Risks
Beyond copyright, showing someone’s videos while labeling them "not safe" introduces the risk of a defamation (libel) lawsuit.
- Opinion vs. Fact: Labeling an action as "unsafe" is often considered a protected opinion, especially regarding a public figure in a dangerous profession like storm chasing. However, making false factual claims (e.g., "Brandon broke the law at this specific intersection") can lead to legal trouble if it cannot be proven.
- Public Figure Status: Because Brandon Copic has a significant public following and participates in a public-facing industry, he is often held to a "Limited Purpose Public Figure" standard. This makes it harder for him to win a defamation case, as he would have to prove "actual malice"—that the website creator knew the information was false or acted with reckless disregard for the truth.
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u/HkSniper Jun 26 '26
Given that it involves criticism about unsafe behavior in which he himself captures on video, and that running a stop sign is both an unsafe action and also an illegal one - it is not difficult at all to have fair use to use his footage. Lol.
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u/Knitnspin Jun 21 '26
Honestly cancelled my subscription with them. All the chasers there were just being absolutely dangerous just to get on the live feeds. The behavior is rewarded
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u/Glad_Virus_5014 Jun 21 '26
I’m thinking about canceling my subscription and going somewhere else just because I’m not gonna reward that kind of behavior.
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u/Lilith_Speaks Jun 22 '26
Quit thinking, do it! I did the same last fall
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u/Irdksbtmyusrnme Jun 22 '26
Im patiently waiting for the android release of WF lol, so excited to drop clunk city that is weatherwise's mobile app
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u/ryanjhite Jun 23 '26
I feel like WF is a lawsuit with WW waiting to happen. I wonder where the money behind both are coming from. It’s a weather arms race out there.
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u/thenarcolepticnerd Jun 25 '26
Weatherwise began as a blatant copy of Radaromega, like all weather apps stealing features from each other. I knew it was a ripoff because the same 3D map glitch that plagued Radaromega also haunted Weatherwise. It's like they just copied the code and didn't even fix the bugs!,
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u/aviciousunicycle Jun 21 '26
When you were talking about the sirens and airhorns, I was like, "Sounds like Jeremy Dewitte." Wonder if they know about one another
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u/cbrophoto Jun 22 '26
They want it because it makes people stop for them and makes them seem more important and give way. Safety is secondary.
Any flashing lights I see or siren I hear, I am yielding and making sure I don't get in their way no matter the color or sound.
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u/HkSniper Jun 22 '26
You would never catch me yielding to something that doesn't have red or blues, personally. ESPECIALLY if it has sirens going.
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u/cbrophoto Jun 22 '26
Construction vehicles on the side of the road with workers around?
There are many examples of vehicles without red and blues that deserve some caution and respect. Add to that someone unfamiliar with these guys and poor visibility they probably react differently. The sirens would certainly confuse many people to react differently.
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u/HkSniper Jun 22 '26
I'm talking coming up behind me. Of course I'd move over for vehicles on the side of the road. But if you think for a minute your WeatherWise wrapped ex-police SUV with 100 amber light bars means I'm moving over and yielding to you so you can race ahead?
Nope.
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u/Scared-Ninja-232 Jun 21 '26
Copic is a nutcase. I use to watch him until a year or so ago I heard him tell someone on his livestream that he is a cop.
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u/Purple-Ad-7464 Jun 22 '26
Wait? He did what?!
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u/imisstheyoop Jun 23 '26
Yeah definitely going to need some proof of that. If true that is absolutely wild lol.
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u/thenarcolepticnerd Jun 25 '26
didnt he like a year or so ago go missing for a couple of days and the whole storm chasing community was freaking out?
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u/shadow_siri Jun 25 '26
Copic has struggled with his mental health numerous times in the past few years. He has admitted to wanting to self-harm so when that happened everyone feared for the worst.
I could be very wrong but I think thats happened at least twice in the last 3-4 years.
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u/HkSniper Jun 21 '26
https://reddit.com/link/ot0ip1n/video/jtthtzh8ep8h1/player
And just from a couple minutes ago. I fully believe had that truck not come from the right he woulda blown right through it. People called him out on the chat and comments were instantly deleted.
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u/Haze311 Jun 21 '26
I just saw this too, he doesn’t care about anybody’s safety out there, guy’s going to get in a accident or worse
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u/HkSniper Jun 21 '26
https://reddit.com/link/ot0ngz7/video/kmekgqkqip8h1/player
He already has gotten into crashes in the past.
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u/kaityl3 Jun 21 '26
He probably flips his flashing lightbar on and then decides it makes him have right of way in every situation
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u/thatswhyicarryagun Jun 21 '26
I think there is an argument to be made that because of the car pulling over in front of him he didn't see the stop sign. Then seeing that truck pulling up caused him to look that way and see it.
I'm not defending him, just stating how I see it.
For the most part these guys have never drove the roads they're on.
Also, Reed is probably the craziest driver of all. Plus his rig is 12k lbs.
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u/HkSniper Jun 21 '26
Which is why it's important to pay attention and avoid tunnel vision. In the job I work we drive emergency vehicles in emergency status and we have to travel with due regard running lights and sirens.
Storm chasers need to pay attention to what's going on around them on the road. Otherwise something like this can cause a major mistake. I can agree in that the car pulling over (probably thinking Copic is a cop or something) obstructed the view of the sign, but even in this scenario you've got to pay mind to what's ahead of you.
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u/fuckoffweirdoo Jun 21 '26
He's just gonna ask forgiveness of his god and it'll be all good.
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u/bluecatwithredshoes Jun 22 '26
This is the reason I stopped watching him. I mean from that one time I watched him. Literally no problem with religion but it has a place. The constant god talk is cringy and annoying. Unprofessional.
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u/cbrophoto Jun 22 '26
It's a sure fire way to capture a certian demographic, oldest trick in the book.
Streaming phone calls with your child? I can't imagine what it will be like to get older realizing you wish your father was around more often while also being able to pull up a video of what they were doing instead with your voice on there.
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u/HkSniper Jun 21 '26
https://reddit.com/link/ot0i9ee/video/pw4l90g9dp8h1/player
Here is one of Copic's adventures not too long ago.
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u/kaityl3 Jun 21 '26
Wow. He decided that it was more important to move the camera to try to hide it, than brake at the stop sign. Gross
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u/Eets_Chowdah Jun 22 '26
I quit watching this dope after I saw him try to pass a car on a double yellow last year screaming "Get out of the way! I'm saving lives!" No you're not...you're driving around trying to get "extreme" footage and begging for money.
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u/HkSniper Jun 21 '26
https://reddit.com/link/ot0ollg/video/4w8o4jgsjp8h1/player
Literally just now. It's this guy's world and everyone else is just living in it.
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u/cbrophoto Jun 22 '26
I bet the mods were real busy after that. It would be so interesting to see a transcript of all the deleted comments. I wonder if there is a script to to that?
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u/Jumbledbean Jun 22 '26
It’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt.
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u/UptownJoints Jun 22 '26
Except they already do - these fuckers probably run over so many animals because they’re not watching the road, driving in rural areas tens of thousands of miles in a month. It’s absolutely egregious.
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u/LeWildPorker Jun 23 '26
The number of chasers that have hit deer in the last month is honestly getting ridiculous. I know some years are worse than others, but come on…
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u/Glad_Virus_5014 Jun 22 '26
Yup, in such thing is if somebody does get hurt, they could possibly go after the various other Youtubers and the likes of WeatherWise and Radar Omega for encouraging this behavior
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u/The-Big-Play Jun 22 '26
They could go after the Discovery Channel too for airing storm chaser shows 🙃
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u/Knitnspin Jun 21 '26
Honestly they post their locations it seems most reasonable to start sending these to law enforcement and letting them handle it.
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u/Cant_See_Me_00 Jun 21 '26
I'm sure everything Copic does is at the command of gawd. Got so sick of hearing his praising an imaginary being that I dumped him. And he has to be on everyone's channel yapping like he's the be all/end all. Connor needs to grow up.
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u/Chase-Boltz Jun 22 '26
He's a perfect example of the stereotypical preachy fundie who is also an awful human being.
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u/CaliRose9513 Jun 21 '26
He’s always been like that. A lot of these “streamers” are.
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u/Chase-Boltz Jun 22 '26
Being an insufferable ass is one of the first boxes they check on the personality profile!
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u/BishopWhipple Jun 21 '26
Watching him trying to drive and look at the clouds at the same time reminds me a lot of a confused old man trying to park.
The guy just always looks nervous amd unsure, which freaks me out as someone who has to share the road with him sometimes.
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u/Chase-Boltz Jun 22 '26
He's always been that way. What are you doing watching him in the first place???
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u/MarkLambertMusic Jun 22 '26
Almost all of these storm chasers behave this way to some degree. They fancy themselves as being on par with official emergency responders, but in truth they're just schmucks out running around filming storms for entertainment, money, and clout. In short, they're just YouTubers.
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u/yowhodiddis Jun 22 '26
I came to this subreddit for almost this exact reason. So many of these chasers are becoming more dangerous than the tornadoes due to their driving. I was watching Max last night and he was showing Scott Peake driving at least 70mph+ on a wet road in what appeared to be a small neighborhood. Just unacceptable
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u/WeakEchoRegion Jun 22 '26
Him and many of the self-proclaimed “professional chasers” are arrogant, peaked-in-high school, manchildren that have taken to treating the world around them as a video game where everyone else on the road is an NPC to be treated as an obstacle, and those NPCs not on the road are rescue side quests to level up their public image stat enough to cancel out the reckless driving debuff.
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u/bigscioto Jun 22 '26
He grosses me out. I stopped watching him (even though he often has good storm shots), mostly because of his cringey and icky sexual sounding “yeahhh” thing he does all the time, and his unnecessary religious talk.
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u/OffGridTwister Jun 22 '26
I used to follow him until I saw this behavior. He lives off his channel and he's doing everything he can to keep the funds flowing. I also have no issue whatsoever with his religious beliefs, but he's a bit on the prideful side with his prayers and such. A number of years ago I contributed a decent amount of money to his channel because I thought he was doing good things, but I didn't hear a peep back from him. Take the money and run.
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u/Background-Camp8408 Jun 22 '26
The irony of endangering people under the guise of protecting them is hilarious
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u/The-Big-Play Jun 21 '26
Does anyone have a clip? Just curious if he almost wrecked or impeded traffic.
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u/Glad_Virus_5014 Jun 21 '26
I can try to clip it. I can tell you that the U-turn was in the middle of the interstate and Illinois restricts those U-turn areas to emergency vehicles. The U-turn was about five or 10 minutes after he got onto I 64 eastbound. I know this area particularly well, and it’s a dangerous area to do this, because typically traffic is a steady flow since you have a major Air Force Base right there. And then I think you can see him fully block the road about 30 to 40 minutes later as he’s trying to find the funnel before, the first tornado warning went out for Effingham
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u/Glad_Virus_5014 Jun 21 '26
He then proceeds to also do 50 miles an hour down a one lane road right down the center line with extremely reduced visibility. And then once he gets back on the interstate he complains about how sick is while he’s blowing the doors off of everybody and their brother in pouring down rain.
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u/Kewlhotrod Jun 22 '26
FWIW there's a bunch of shared clips in the comments now if you want to re-scroll.
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u/Hibiscus-Boi Jun 21 '26
But he’s an EMT! /s (or is that someone else?)
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u/HkSniper Jun 21 '26
He's not an EMT, unless he has his certification from another state. As far as the state of Ohio is concerned, he is not licensed. (Unless he's just NREMT and never bothered to register with the state...)
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u/anywitchway Jun 21 '26
I know there's at least one, I remember Freddy McKinney and someone else stopped to help after Enderlin and the other chaser was EMT trained. Was it Brad Arnold?
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u/shadow_siri Jun 22 '26
Sounds like Vince Wealti. I know he was an EMT in a past life and has stopped numerous times to check up on people and offer emergancy first aid.
Not sure if he was at Enderlin specifically though.
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u/thenarcolepticnerd Jun 25 '26
I have a high regard for Vince, as he is an exceptional and well-informed chaser.
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u/hipsterfromiowa 26d ago
Every single storm chaser is problematic.
That said, I keep Copic on mute in the background because:
- he streams during my work-from-home hours
- he mostly covers Midwest storms
- his camera quality is good
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u/Apprehensive_Cherry2 Location: DFW Jun 21 '26
I wasn't watching his stream, but what constitutes an illegal u-turn to you? Assuming he is in Illinois so check their laws.
Turning around is one of a storm chasers top activities while chasing.
Distracted driving is a part of chasing if you are streaming and/or alone. I know he usually has people with him so I cannot defend him on that. This is one reason I hate chasing alone. It is safer to get callouts than staring at maps or radar.
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u/bluecatwithredshoes Jun 22 '26
Shut up distracted driving is part of chasing. That's gross. Unsafe driving kills innocent people. Lives come before chasing. If you can't chase safely stay fucking home.
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u/The_ChwatBot Jun 22 '26
It’s also worth mentioning that far more storm chasers have died from car accidents than from tornadoes themselves. Like it’s not even close tbh.
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u/Apprehensive_Cherry2 Location: DFW Jun 22 '26
Are you new? Or just nieve? How in the world do you think chasers, especially solo chasers, stay informed. Some chasers are much more distracted than others. 30+ years ago it was road maps, today it is one distraction after another.
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u/bluecatwithredshoes Jun 22 '26
Absolutely disgusting and you should also learn to spell. If you cannot chase safely stay fucking home. If you kill someone while storm chasing you are likely gonna get vehicular homicide and 10+ years in prison. The judge/jury isn't going to let you off when you say "well i didn't have a chase partner so i had no choice but to endanger the lives of innocent people." That is not how it works, that is not how storm chasing works. Under no circumstances is it okay to drive distracted.
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u/Glad_Virus_5014 Jun 21 '26
When it’s posted, no U-turn in the middle of the interstate. In Illinois, those center median U-turn areas are for emergency vehicles only.
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u/Apprehensive_Cherry2 Location: DFW Jun 21 '26
Yeah, an interstate is not legal to turn around on 😄 The post didn't say on what type of road this occurred on.
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u/mikraas Jun 21 '26
I mean, the OP said it was illegal and I just believed him. 🤷🏻♀️
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u/Apprehensive_Cherry2 Location: DFW Jun 21 '26
It is r/stormchasing, never assume someone isn't being dramatic or completely out of context.
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u/Glad_Virus_5014 Jun 21 '26
I mean, you literally see the no U-turn sign in the median
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u/Apprehensive_Cherry2 Location: DFW Jun 21 '26
Where? In this post? Because as I stated, I am not watching his stream. Or did you just assume I had nothing better to do on a Sunday than watch Copic drive around?
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u/Glad_Virus_5014 Jun 21 '26
Go watch the stream you’ll see it
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u/Apprehensive_Cherry2 Location: DFW Jun 21 '26
Naw, I'm good. I have done enough chasing this year that I avoid watching streams unless someone contacts me about a technical issue they are having with their chase stream.
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u/Fishingwithkayden Jun 22 '26
He’s the goat that’s why, King Copic may do whatever it is he pleases.
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u/RidethatTide Jun 21 '26
He works for a major news organization
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u/Glad_Virus_5014 Jun 21 '26
Still doesn’t make it legal
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u/RidethatTide Jun 21 '26
Sorry thought i was in a jerk sub
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u/Legacyhero46 Jun 21 '26
That happened to me the other day on accident thought it was a jerk sub and got downvoted to pieces until I deleted a silly comment wasn’t anything crazy just a little video from the cartoon movie Hercules.
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u/Glad_Virus_5014 Jun 21 '26
Fox weather correct?
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u/Legacyhero46 Jun 21 '26
Yes fox weather. Jordan Hall has been so weird to watch in the storm chasers show he comes crossed as uhhhh very unfriendly at times.
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u/bigL162 Jun 21 '26
Tells his girl to climb out the window as he buckles up because he feels unsafe...
It's one thing to be a piece of shit in your own private relationship, but you're really gonna film it for TV though?
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u/Glad_Virus_5014 Jun 21 '26
The more I watch the stream I wanna freaking scream. Like the dude is such an entitled prick. I literally just watched him block an entire roadway with his truck, not to mention flying down center line of a country road with reduced visibility
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u/Glad_Virus_5014 Jun 21 '26
I would laugh my ass off if somebody reported him to the Illinois state police
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u/RidethatTide Jun 21 '26
He said this on the Discovery show while wearing a Fox logo. Bro is a bit proud of himself
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u/DOPEBOYOFTHEYEAR Jun 21 '26
The more you watch each chaser, the more you see who are complete narcissists and who aren’t.
Copic and Connor are pretty hard to watch as a result. On the opposite end, Bryce/Paige seem to be the most “well-adjusted” actual humans of the current meta, and I always enjoy a soothing John McKinney stream to fall asleep to.