Last Demon Dance

2019Viral video / video editsemi-active

Also known as: Last Dance of the Demon

Last Demon Dance is a 2019 California police chase video of a suspect breakdancing at gunpoint, which went viral in 2023 after a TikToker falsely claimed it showed a gang ritual.

The Last Demon Dance is a viral video meme originating from a 2019 California police chase in which a reckless driving suspect broke into a breakdance routine while officers held him at gunpoint. The footage sat mostly dormant until early 2023, when a Russian TikToker reposted it with a fabricated backstory claiming the dance was a ritual performed by high-ranking gang members upon arrest. The hoax spread rapidly across TikTok, spawning thousands of edits and remixes.

dance memeshoax memesdelayed virality memesstreet footage memes

Overview

The Last Demon Dance refers to helicopter and ground-level news footage of an unidentified man breakdancing in the street after being stopped by California Highway Patrol officers following a car chase. The man calmly stepped out of his vehicle, raised his hands, and then launched into a short dance routine while officers had their weapons drawn1. In its meme form, the clip is typically set to various songs with edits and effects layered on top, often accompanied by text repeating the fake claim that the dance is a gang ritual3.

On March 20, 2019, a police pursuit ended on Laurel Canyon Boulevard in Pacoima after CHP officers performed a PIT maneuver on a white Ford Focus driven by a suspect wanted for reckless driving1. The chase had begun on the eastbound 101 Freeway near Sherman Oaks around 9:15 p.m.1. After the suspect's car spun out, he exited the vehicle with his hands up, then broke into a brief breakdance before officers took him into custody1. FOX 11 Los Angeles and other outlets reported the story that night. The Associated Press uploaded helicopter footage to YouTube, which picked up over 136,000 views over the next four years, while ABC7 posted a closer ground-level angle that pulled in over 51,000 views in the same period3.

The suspect's identity was never publicly released, and charges were listed as pending at the time of reporting1.

Origin & Background

Platform
FOX 11 Los Angeles / Associated Press (news footage), TikTok (viral meme spread)
Key People
@biker.roblox228, Unknown suspect
Date
2019 (original incident), 2023 (viral spread)

On March 20, 2019, a police pursuit ended on Laurel Canyon Boulevard in Pacoima after CHP officers performed a PIT maneuver on a white Ford Focus driven by a suspect wanted for reckless driving. The chase had begun on the eastbound 101 Freeway near Sherman Oaks around 9:15 p.m.. After the suspect's car spun out, he exited the vehicle with his hands up, then broke into a brief breakdance before officers took him into custody. FOX 11 Los Angeles and other outlets reported the story that night. The Associated Press uploaded helicopter footage to YouTube, which picked up over 136,000 views over the next four years, while ABC7 posted a closer ground-level angle that pulled in over 51,000 views in the same period.

The suspect's identity was never publicly released, and charges were listed as pending at the time of reporting.

How It Spread

The video sat in relative obscurity for nearly four years. On February 7, 2023, Russian TikToker @biker.roblox228 reposted the clip with music added and a caption that translated to: "the last dance of the demon, it is danced only by gang leaders or significant persons of their district showing their importance" (translated from Russian). The post racked up over 4 million views within a month.

The gang leader narrative was entirely made up. No evidence exists of any dance tradition called the "last demon dance," and the arrested man was never reported to have any gang affiliation. Urban Dictionary entries from the period bluntly describe the story as fabricated, with one definition noting the man "wasn't even a gang member he was just a fucking weirdo".

Despite the hoax (or maybe because of it), TikTok creators ran with the concept. On March 21, 2023, @fx_editsfy posted an edit that crossed 1.1 million views in a week. Four days later, @millionairehabits uploaded a version that spliced in audio of police calling for a SWAT team, pulling over 3.1 million views in just three days. On March 26, @.c.al.eb created an edit using the close-up ABC7 footage, adding another 31,000 views in two days. The trend followed a consistent format: take the original dance clip, add a dramatic or hard-hitting song, include text about the "last demon dance" legend, and sometimes tack on fake aftermath audio for extra drama.

Media

How to Use This Meme

The Last Demon Dance format works as a video edit template:

1

Use either the helicopter or ground-level footage of the suspect dancing

2

Add a song, typically something with a hard beat drop or dramatic energy

3

Overlay text referencing the "last demon dance" myth (optional but common)

4

Some versions add additional audio effects or fake police radio chatter after the dance

5

Post with a caption playing into or debunking the gang leader narrative

Cultural Impact

The Last Demon Dance is a clean example of how TikTok can create mythology from nothing. A random 2019 news clip about a guy dancing during his arrest became, four years later, a full-blown internet legend complete with fabricated lore about gang hierarchies. The speed at which the fake backstory was accepted and repeated shows how quickly context can be invented and spread on short-form video platforms. CHP officers at the scene reportedly "stayed patient, letting him enjoy his last moments of freedom" before making the arrest, a detail that only added to the clip's appeal.

Fun Facts

The original pursuit started on the 101 Freeway and ended after a PIT maneuver, a technique where police bump a fleeing car's rear quarter panel to spin it out.

The suspect drove a white Ford Focus, about the least dramatic getaway car imaginable.

The "last demon dance" name and gang leader story were invented by a Russian TikToker, not by anyone connected to the actual event.

Despite millions of views on the TikTok edits, the suspect's identity was never revealed in news reports.

Frequently Asked Questions

Last Demon Dance

2019Viral video / video editsemi-active

Also known as: Last Dance of the Demon

Last Demon Dance is a 2019 California police chase video of a suspect breakdancing at gunpoint, which went viral in 2023 after a TikToker falsely claimed it showed a gang ritual.

The Last Demon Dance is a viral video meme originating from a 2019 California police chase in which a reckless driving suspect broke into a breakdance routine while officers held him at gunpoint. The footage sat mostly dormant until early 2023, when a Russian TikToker reposted it with a fabricated backstory claiming the dance was a ritual performed by high-ranking gang members upon arrest. The hoax spread rapidly across TikTok, spawning thousands of edits and remixes.

dance memes hoax memes delayed virality memes street footage memes

Overview

The Last Demon Dance refers to helicopter and ground-level news footage of an unidentified man breakdancing in the street after being stopped by California Highway Patrol officers following a car chase. The man calmly stepped out of his vehicle, raised his hands, and then launched into a short dance routine while officers had their weapons drawn. In its meme form, the clip is typically set to various songs with edits and effects layered on top, often accompanied by text repeating the fake claim that the dance is a gang ritual.

On March 20, 2019, a police pursuit ended on Laurel Canyon Boulevard in Pacoima after CHP officers performed a PIT maneuver on a white Ford Focus driven by a suspect wanted for reckless driving. The chase had begun on the eastbound 101 Freeway near Sherman Oaks around 9:15 p.m.. After the suspect's car spun out, he exited the vehicle with his hands up, then broke into a brief breakdance before officers took him into custody. FOX 11 Los Angeles and other outlets reported the story that night. The Associated Press uploaded helicopter footage to YouTube, which picked up over 136,000 views over the next four years, while ABC7 posted a closer ground-level angle that pulled in over 51,000 views in the same period.

The suspect's identity was never publicly released, and charges were listed as pending at the time of reporting.

Origin & Background

Platform
FOX 11 Los Angeles / Associated Press (news footage), TikTok (viral meme spread)
Key People
@biker.roblox228, Unknown suspect
Date
2019 (original incident), 2023 (viral spread)

On March 20, 2019, a police pursuit ended on Laurel Canyon Boulevard in Pacoima after CHP officers performed a PIT maneuver on a white Ford Focus driven by a suspect wanted for reckless driving. The chase had begun on the eastbound 101 Freeway near Sherman Oaks around 9:15 p.m.. After the suspect's car spun out, he exited the vehicle with his hands up, then broke into a brief breakdance before officers took him into custody. FOX 11 Los Angeles and other outlets reported the story that night. The Associated Press uploaded helicopter footage to YouTube, which picked up over 136,000 views over the next four years, while ABC7 posted a closer ground-level angle that pulled in over 51,000 views in the same period.

The suspect's identity was never publicly released, and charges were listed as pending at the time of reporting.

How It Spread

The video sat in relative obscurity for nearly four years. On February 7, 2023, Russian TikToker @biker.roblox228 reposted the clip with music added and a caption that translated to: "the last dance of the demon, it is danced only by gang leaders or significant persons of their district showing their importance" (translated from Russian). The post racked up over 4 million views within a month.

The gang leader narrative was entirely made up. No evidence exists of any dance tradition called the "last demon dance," and the arrested man was never reported to have any gang affiliation. Urban Dictionary entries from the period bluntly describe the story as fabricated, with one definition noting the man "wasn't even a gang member he was just a fucking weirdo".

Despite the hoax (or maybe because of it), TikTok creators ran with the concept. On March 21, 2023, @fx_editsfy posted an edit that crossed 1.1 million views in a week. Four days later, @millionairehabits uploaded a version that spliced in audio of police calling for a SWAT team, pulling over 3.1 million views in just three days. On March 26, @.c.al.eb created an edit using the close-up ABC7 footage, adding another 31,000 views in two days. The trend followed a consistent format: take the original dance clip, add a dramatic or hard-hitting song, include text about the "last demon dance" legend, and sometimes tack on fake aftermath audio for extra drama.

Media

How to Use This Meme

The Last Demon Dance format works as a video edit template:

1

Use either the helicopter or ground-level footage of the suspect dancing

2

Add a song, typically something with a hard beat drop or dramatic energy

3

Overlay text referencing the "last demon dance" myth (optional but common)

4

Some versions add additional audio effects or fake police radio chatter after the dance

5

Post with a caption playing into or debunking the gang leader narrative

Cultural Impact

The Last Demon Dance is a clean example of how TikTok can create mythology from nothing. A random 2019 news clip about a guy dancing during his arrest became, four years later, a full-blown internet legend complete with fabricated lore about gang hierarchies. The speed at which the fake backstory was accepted and repeated shows how quickly context can be invented and spread on short-form video platforms. CHP officers at the scene reportedly "stayed patient, letting him enjoy his last moments of freedom" before making the arrest, a detail that only added to the clip's appeal.

Fun Facts

The original pursuit started on the 101 Freeway and ended after a PIT maneuver, a technique where police bump a fleeing car's rear quarter panel to spin it out.

The suspect drove a white Ford Focus, about the least dramatic getaway car imaginable.

The "last demon dance" name and gang leader story were invented by a Russian TikToker, not by anyone connected to the actual event.

Despite millions of views on the TikTok edits, the suspect's identity was never revealed in news reports.

Frequently Asked Questions