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Santa Clarita, California police racially profiles innocent Black teens

Source: @tammilaray / Instagram

A viral video has sparked outrage against The L.A. County Sheriffs when cops responded to a call concerning three Black teens who ultimately needed their help. However, the teens were the ones who ended up getting guns pointed at them once officers arrived.

According to TMZ, the incident occurred on Friday in Santa Clarita, which is about 35 miles north of L.A.

Tammi Collins, the mother of one of the teens, posted a video of the incident on Instagram, writing that her sons and a few friends were sitting at a bus stop on their way home. “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,” Collins wrote on Instagram.

Collins said that the homeless guy became aggressive, taking off his shirt and pulling out a knife to try and stab the teens. She said her sons friends only had their skate boards to defend themselves against the man.

“Several bystanders including the restaurant manager of Buffalo Wild Wings called the police to get help for the boys but ‘One’ caller called the police and reported two black guys are attacking a homeless guy,” Collins wrote on Instagram. “This is how the police responded.”

The video starts with two officers already having guns pointed towards the teens. Another cop then arrives, holding what appears to be a semiautomatic weapon and he also aims his gun at the teens. Meanwhile, bystanders can be heard yelling “it’s not them” and “put your guns down” towards the officers. However, they do not listen and one of them even responds, “Get away from me. Back up.”

Meanwhile, a bystander who seems to be recording the video appears to tell the teens to put their hands up as a way to avoid being shot. Eventually, the teens can be seen backing up towards the police cars with their hands raised, and they are arrested and placed in police vehicles.

Later in the video, bystanders continue to criticized the cops, telling them that it was the kids who needed help from a “Hispanic” homeless guy. One of the cops argues, “we’re on a different call” involving a report that the teens assaulted the man with their skateboard. But the bystanders argued that the kids were defending themselves.

The L.A. County Sheriff’s Deptment later told TMZ that the 911 call came in as an assault with a deadly weapon, specifically, 2 adult males hitting another guy with a skateboard. “The kids were detained and after deputies spoke with them and witnesses, they were released and no arrests were made,” reported TMZ. The sheriff’s department said they didn’t know what happened to the homeless man.

In her post of the video, Collins wrote, “This is something my son and his friends will never forget. I’m still wonder [sic] how will I ever help my son recover from this traumatic experience. Please pray for my family. Please Share to protect our kids!!!”

You can watch the potentially triggering video below.

 

SEE ALSO:

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Graphic Video: Black Teens Who Needed Help Are Held At Gunpoint By Responding Cops  was originally published on newsone.com