"Caught in 4K": Fans react as Twitch streamer Hazunats nearly gets pickpocketed during Italy IRL stream

Twitch IRL streamer Hazu "Hazunats" was subject to a pickpocketing attempt while exploring the streets of Rome, Italy during a live stream on July 31, 2024. The streamer was talking to her audience when a bearded man appeared in the frame behind her. Soon after, three other individuals also came into view.

The bearded man could then be seen catching up to her and trying to steal items from Hazunats' waist bag. Sensing their presence, the Japanese streamer turned her camera toward the man and his companions, causing them to temporarily back off. Hazunats tried to diffuse the situation by greeting them, and they greeted the camera back while waving at it.

One of the women came close to the camera and tried to distract Hazunats while the bearded man seemed to be once again attempting to tinker with the streamer's waist bag. Sensing something awry, Hazunats moved away from them and bid them farewell.

Talking to her audience thereafter, she stated:

"They literally tryna steal my bag. That's what happened. Did you see that?"

A clip of this incident was shared on r/LivestreamFail on Reddit, and fans on the platform have since been discussing the gravity of the alleged crime, along with how distinctly it was caught on camera. Others expressed their criticisms regarding the enforcement of punishments for such crimes in Italy, which some users alleged amounted to "nothing":

Comment byu/LiterallyDecimated from discussion inLivestreamFail

Reddit user Neddo_Flanders stated:

"Caught in 4K, still not considered proof to the police."

"Christ, is the punishment for theft basically nothing in Italy? He was aware he was on stream and did that with the least subtle facial expression imaginable," wrote u/poopyplopper on Reddit

"All of them caught on stream. I hope it got sent to the police," wrote u/t3cadeus on Reddit

"He's gripping, wrote u/smokomy on Reddi,

"A whole group of thiefs, I don't even know how much I watched the clip," wrote u/Robstar98 on Reddit

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Exploring the perils of IRL streaming

IRL (In Real Life) streaming is a format of live broadcasting in which the individual streams themselves doing activities, usually in an outdoor setting. This often also involves one-on-one interactions with strangers, which, despite being entertaining, can sometimes lead to unprecedented results.

This fact was also acknowledged by Kick's CEO Eddie Craven, who labeled IRL streams as a source of "unpredictable content" while announcing it as a separate category from the already present Just Chatting category. This was carried out as a way to provide better moderation considering the "high-risk" nature of the broadcasts.

While this announcement was made by Eddie Craven on June 22, 2024, soon after, on July 4, 2024, a Kick creator pulled out a gun during a scuffle with a couple during an IRL livestream.

Twitch has also had its fair share of worrisome encounters during broadcasts. One incident from May 19, 2024, involved multiple gunshots being fired, and allegedly also showcased an individual firing a gun in the air.

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Popular YouTube IRL streamer Darren "IShowSpeed" was also assaulted by a horde of fans during his visit to Norway when he tried to leave a restaurant that had been surrounded by fans. The streamer had his hair pulled and was also jumped on by an individual who had climbed atop the streamer's touring vehicle.