A popular Twitch streamer, Emily Schunk—known online as Emiru—was confronted by a man who went onstage uninvited and attempted to kiss her during a meet-and-greet session at TwitchCon, held at the San Diego Convention Center. The incident occurred shortly after 5 p.m. on Friday at Emiru’s booth.
A video shared online captures the moment the unidentified man was pushed away by her security team after the incident, while Emiru was escorted offstage by her manager.
On Saturday, Emiru addressed the incident in a message posted on X, saying, “Hello everyone, I am okay and thank you for all of the kind messages, sorry I cannot respond to them all. Yesterday, the man who assaulted me was allowed to cross multiple barriers at TwitchCon and even in front of another creator’s meet and greet to grab me and my face and try to kiss me. Fortunately, he wasn’t able to, but a lot of people have pointed out it could have been a lot worse!”
She continued, “I’m obviously shaken up by what happened and it’s not the first time I’ve dealt with something like this, but to tell you honestly, I am a lot more hurt and upset by how Twitch handled it during and after the fact.”
Later on Saturday, Emiru also uploaded a video on Twitch (twitch.tv/videos/2595425600) where she described the experience in detail to her fans. In the video, she said, “I’m still, like, freaked out because he grabbed me. That’s not normal. Then he grabs my face and he leans in and, lips puckered, and tries to kiss me. And I started screaming. I’m screaming my head off.”
Emiru confirmed she gave a statement to the police. According to a spokesperson for the San Diego Police Department, officers responded on Friday to the lobby of the Omni Hotel on L Street where Emiru was staying. A police report was filed, but it remains unclear if an arrest has been made.
Responding to Twitch’s statement claiming the man was “immediately caught and detained,” Emiru wrote on X, “I’m sorry but that is a blatant lie. He was allowed to walk away from my meet and greet and I didn’t hear he was caught until hours after he attacked me, and it felt like this only happened because of my manager pressing for it, not because TwitchCon staff present thought it was a big deal.”
Twitch also issued a statement on X on Saturday, expressing their stance on the incident:
“The safety and security of all those attending TwitchCon is our highest priority. The behavior displayed by the individual involved in the incident yesterday (Friday) involving a high-profile streamer was completely unacceptable and deeply upsetting.
In line with existing TwitchCon security protocols, law enforcement and event security were on site and responded to the incident. We immediately blocked this individual from returning to the TwitchCon premises, and they are banned indefinitely from Twitch, both online and in-person events. We are coordinating with the impacted creator’s team and, per our standard protocols, continue to cooperate with any law enforcement investigations.
We have increased security at the Meet & Greet attendee check-in point and will have additional security personnel surrounding participating streamers. Twitch has zero tolerance for harassment or acts that inhibit the safety and security of our community.”
Twitch is a live-streaming platform primarily focused on video games, but it also features content related to music, art, cooking, and other topics. The platform allows users to watch live broadcasts and interact with streamers and other viewers via a built-in chat feature. Owned by Amazon, Twitch has become the world’s largest video game streaming service, attracting millions of daily visitors.
Maren Dougherty, executive director of marketing & communications for the San Diego Convention Center Corporation, released the following statement to City News Service on Sunday:
“We want a safe and secure experience for everyone inside our building. Together with local law enforcement and event security, we support Twitch’s increased security measures throughout TwitchCon.”
https://timesofsandiego.com/crime/2025/10/19/security-intervenes-man-attempts-kiss-streamer-emiru-san-diego-twitchcon/