YouTube daredevil ‘8booth’ pleads guilty in death-defying jumps off buildings, cliffs

A 28-year-old man known as the masked thrill-seeker “8booth,” notorious for videos of his death-defying leaps off buildings and cliffs in Laguna Beach and Newport Beach, was sentenced Friday to probation, community service and a day in Orange County Jail after pleading guilty to four misdemeanors.

Anthony Booth Armer of Laguna Niguel pleaded guilty Friday to two counts of unauthorized entry of a dwelling and two counts of trespassing with intent to interfere with business, according to Orange County Superior Court records.

Judge Brett London immediately sentenced Armer to three years’ informal probation, 100 hours of community service and one day in jail.

Armer, known as 8booth on YouTube, has jumped from private rooftops, hotels and cliffs into the ocean and swimming pools. 8booth’s videos show him leaping from cliffs above Crystal Cove State Park and the Montage Laguna Beach resort, from hotels in Laguna Beach and off the roofs or railings of beachfront homes.

He often wore a bandanna and sunglasses to conceal his face.

The charges against Armer are related to a Newport Harbor leap and three jumps in Laguna Beach.

Authorities said Armer climbed over a retaining wall onto the property of a residence near Table Rock Beach in Laguna Beach on July 21, 2016, climbed onto the roof and leaped into the ocean, authorities said.

The Laguna Beach Police Department investigated the incident after a video of it gained media attention, and the homeowner confirmed that Armer did not have permission to access the property, authorities said.

On Sept. 29, authorities said, Armer climbed over a wall to get into the employee-only areas of Laguna Beach’s Surf & Sand Resort before jumping from the fifth floor of the hotel into the pool. Employees reported that incident to Laguna Beach police.

On Oct. 14, Armer posted a video of himself leaping from the top of the eight-story Newport Towers apartment building into Newport Harbor, narrowly missing a dock, authorities said. Newport Towers security reported the incident to police.

Police said detectives identified Armer as the man in the videos through interviews with homeowners and other witnesses. Laguna Beach police arrested him in October and he was released on $500 bond several days later.

But he wasn’t through with the thrill of the jump, authorities said.

On Dec. 28, Armer suffered severe injuries to his feet after jumping off a ledge into the pool at the Pacific Edge Hotel in Laguna Beach. A YouTube post shows him landing on the edge of the pool, falling into the water and then climbing out. He crawled toward a nearby gate, which another person opened for him.