10:10 AM PT -- Jake Paul has responded to videos showing him smackdab in the middle of looting that went on in Arizona Saturday night, and his explanation boils down to ...

Eventually, he says he found himself in the middle of the mall break-in, and decided to capture all of it -- for his YouTube channel, no doubt, but also to shed light on the sitch.

Jake Paul was smack in the middle of a mall that was looted Saturday night, and he's taking lots of heat for it.