This post was updated Oct. 22 at 12:20 a.m.
Several hundred people gathered in Bruin Plaza at noon Monday to see social media influencer Adamn WhoDeyWant – and has over one million followers on TikTok – leading to a brief closure of the UCLA Store in Ackerman Union.
Officials closed off the UCLA Store around 12:20 p.m. following attendees’ attempts to push into the area after the influencer, whose real name is Adam Kelly. Kelly, who is also known as Adamn Killa, was escorted out of Ackerman Union around 12:25 p.m.
Steve Lurie, the associate vice chancellor for campus and community safety, said Kelly asked for help from UCPD to help him leave campus safely. When the crowd grew and people attempted to take photographs with Kelly, he decided to leave, and UCPD officers escorted him to his vehicle safely, said Scott Scheffler, UCPD’s administrative and operations captain.
“We didn’t intervene with him in any way except as he requested,” Lurie said.
The influencer announced in an Instagram post around 10 p.m. Sunday that he would be coming to UCLA’s campus. The influencer typically posts comedic content of him dancing to his song “Fall On” with large groups of people.
Kelly often posts videos of him holding his arms behind his back, telling individuals on the street – including police officers – to arrest him. He also makes videos where he dances in support of diverse identities, calling some of the groups “baddies.”
Scheffler said that attendees remained orderly, adding that, “the only issue was the overwhelming number of people seeking photos.”
Kelly made several TikTok videos with the crowd – including one in which he yelled, “If you a Bruin baddie, this is for you,” before breaking out into dance.
Lurie said UCLA worked alongside Kelly’s manager ahead of the event – including by explaining that Bruin Plaza is a designated area for public expression under the university’s Time, Place and Manner rules.
Lurie added that another time an influencer came to campus, the UCLA store experienced “significant shoplifting loss” after a large group of people swarmed the area for about 30 minutes.
Dechen Yangjor, a third-year psychology student, said she was excited to be in attendance and appear in Kelly’s TikTok video. Students were laughing, talking and dancing alongside Kelly, said Olivia Bredfeldt, a third-year history student. Kristian Suazo, a third-year political science student, said the event was peaceful, adding that people shouted in response to the prompts Kelly called out.
“It was a very fun event that brought a lot of people to show love for a brand new TikToker, and it’s very peaceful,” he said. “I was glad to be part of it.”
Contributing reports by Alexandra Crosnoe, News editor.
