Chilling video shows California cops pointing guns at Black teens who complained about man trying to stab them
LOS ANGELES COUNTY, CALIFORNIA: Residents were left outraged after a shocking video of sheriff's deputies pointing guns at Black teenagers went viral. The teenagers had reportedly complained of a man who had allegedly chased them with a knife, but when officers responded to the scene, they allegedly aimed their weapons, one of which appeared to be an assault rifle, at the teens instead.
After the deputies received criticism online for their actions, the Los Angeles County sheriff, in a statement, said that he was concerned about the tactics the deputies used during the incident. A video of the incident showed bystanders pleading with the officers to stand down as they defended the teenagers. One of the bystanders could be heard saying in the clip: "Put your guns down. They're kids."
The teenagers obeyed the deputies' commands to walk back toward them with their hands raised, they were then handcuffed. Reports state that the trio was later released. Mother of one of the three boys, Tammi Collins, said that she broke into tears when she saw the video of the incident. "I felt my throat closing almost 'cause it was so surreal that this was happening to him," she told CBS News. "I was screaming because I wasn't there for my son, and I knew he was afraid, but he followed everything that I had taught him to do if he ever got in a situation like that."
The teenagers reportedly said that they were waiting at a bus stop in the Santa Clarita Valley, when a homeless man approached them and attempted to stab them. The boys said that they used their skateboards as shields and fended off the attack.
A statement released by the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department said that deputies at the time were responding to a report that "two male Black adults hit a victim with a skateboard." However, the victim could not be located. The teenagers' story, however, was corroborated by witnesses present at the scene. A witness can be heard saying in the viral video: "I got on the phone and told you guys, there's a male Hispanic out here chasing these kids with a knife."
The father of one of the detained boys, Derrick Gray, told the outlet that his heart hurt when he watched the video where his 16-year-old son was standing at a gunpoint. "To have him go through that ordeal at the age of 16 is inconceivable," he said. "I could've possibly lost my son, my youngest son, because somebody called the police to protect him and instead of being protected, he was accosted, and this will stay with him for the rest of his life."
The families of the teens have said that they are looking at therapy options for their sons to get over the traumatic incident. Meanwhile, Santa Clarita's Mayor Cameron Smyth called for the sheriff's department to expedite its review of the incident and also asked for "the deputy be removed from the field" pending investigation. It is not yet clear which particular deputy Smyth was referring to.