Livestreamer Dalton Eatherly, who goes by Chud the Builder, is facing an attempted murder charge over his alleged involvement in a shooting incident outside a courthouse in Tennessee. The shooting occurred during a confrontation between Eatherly and an unnamed man on May 13, during which both men were shot.
Just days earlier, Eatherly, who is known for posting controversial videos using racial slurs, was arrested at a Nashville restaurant for refusing to pay his bill after he was asked by staff to stop filming himself and became belligerent.
Here’s what you should know about Dalton Eatherly and the charges against him.
Who Is Dalton Eatherly, a.k.a. Chud the Builder?
Dalton Eatherly is a Tennessee-based contractor and social media personality known for his rage-baiting livestreams under the name Chud the Builder. Eatherly, who is white, frequently films himself making racist and derogatory comments to Black people in public while professing his support for the First Amendment.
In one video, he referred to a Black man as a chimpanzee and used a racial slur multiple times. After the man told him not to use such language, Eatherly responded: “America is free speech. Tell me I can’t say something again.”
The 28-year-old primarily posted his confrontations on Kick, but was indefinitely banned from the social media platform in late April. He immediately switched to using the meme coin site Pump.fun.
Not long after, Eatherly was arrested at Bob's Steak & Chop House in Nashville on May 9 after he was asked by staff to stop livestreaming in the restaurant. He began yelling and making racist comments and refused to pay for his food, which ran a whopping total of $371.55. Eatherly was then charged with theft and disorderly conduct and was quickly released on a $5,000 bond.
Why Was Chud the Builder Charged with Attempted Murder?
Four days later, the livestreamer found himself in even greater legal trouble when he allegedly shot a man and himself outside the Montgomery County Courthouse in Clarksville. Both men received medical treatment, though it’s unclear what events transpired before shots were fired. While authorities didn’t provide a description of the other man, a witness described him as Black.
Eatherly documented the aftermath of the incident in a livestream on Pump.fun, in which he said he was attacked and shot a man in self-defense. Claiming to have approached the man after he and others walked by “pointing” and “laughing,” Eatherly said the man threatened to hit him if he started “saying all that chimp out shit” and began “whaling” on him.
In the video, the influencer also asked paramedics, “Did I shoot myself or did it graze it?”
Eatherly, who was at the courthouse for a civil case over credit card debt, was arrested and charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault, employing a firearm during a dangerous felony, and reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon.
He is currently being held at Montgomery County Jail until his bond can be set at an arraignment hearing.
Check back with Biography.com for additional updates in the case.
Catherine Caruso joined the Biography.com staff in August 2024, having previously worked as a freelance journalist for several years. She is a graduate of Syracuse University, where she studied English literature. When she’s not working on a new story, you can find her reading, hitting the gym, or watching too much TV.
