Los Angeles County Sheriffs pointed their guns at and detained three Black teenagers in Santa Clarita, California, who needed their help, an Instagram user wrote. Tammi Collins said her son and his friends were being attacked by a homeless man at a bus stop. Multiple people called authorities for their help, but when police showed up, they pointed their guns at the boys.
Collins’ video, originally posted on August 7, has garnered more than 20,000 views. It started going viral after it was picked up by the popular Twitter account Fifty Shades of Whey, attracting more than 130,000 views within hours of being shared.
Police in Santa Clarita point their guns & arrest the teenagers who needed their help
Here’s what you need to know:
Collins Says the Man Attacked the Teens With a Knife
According to Collins, her son and his friends were at a bus stop when they were approached by a homeless man, who first asked them for drugs and then tried to steal their items. He then became aggressive, pulled out a knife and attacked them. She claimed the boys used their skateboards as a defense to keep a safe distance from the man.
Collins wrote multiple calls to 911 calls were placed, but one caller, according to her, told the dispatcher “two black guys were attacking a homeless man.”
In the video Collins posted, bystanders tell authorities they are pointing the guns at the wrong people and tell the teenagers to keep their hands up. Police keep their weapons pointed at the boys and tell the bystanders to stay back.
The full video, which is 11 minutes long, starts out with a bystander expressing shock. “Look at this. This is crazy. It was the other guy,” she says. “It’s not them.”
“Get away from me!” one of the officers says, pointing at the person and keeping his other hand on the gun. “Back up!”
At the two-minute mark of the video, one of the teen gets down on his knees and is handcuffed.
“They don’t care because [they’re] Black,” a witness says as the teen is taken into a police vehicle. “This is bull****. These kids didn’t do nothing at all.” Another person adds that the teens weren’t resisting as the sheriffs continue to point their guns at the two teens.
“Just keep your hands up. It’ll be over soon,” someone from the crowd says to the boys.
As the second teen is handcuffed, one witness says, “This is sad,” and, “They’re supposed to be protecting us.”
After the teens have been detained, police explain on video that everyone in this situation gets detained and that the skateboard was considered a weapon. In a statement to TMZ, police said they received a call about an assault with a deadly weapon.
The teens were all released after authorities spoke with witnesses, and no charges were filed, TMZ reported.
Heavy reached out to Collins for an update but didn’t immediately hear back.
Collins Doesn’t Know How She’ll Help Her Son Recover
In the caption for the video she posted on Instagram, Collins wrote that she is worried about her son. “How will I help my son recover from this,” she began the post.
“I wanted to share what happened to my son yesterday in SCV when he was with a couple of friends sitting at a bus stop headed home,” she wrote. “He was attacked by a gentleman (homeless guy) who approached them and first asked them if they had any crack then tried to take their things.
“This is how the police responded,” Collins continued. “This is something my son and his friends will never forget. I’m still wonder how will I ever help my son recover from this traumatic experience. Please pray for my family. Please share to protect our kids!!!”
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