LA sheriff concerned after deputies confront 3 Black teens

LOS ANGELES The Los Angeles County sheriff said Monday he has concerns about tactics deputies used to detain three Black teenagers at gunpoint after the youths were threatened by a man holding a knife.

Sheriff Alex Villanueva said in a 21-second social media post that he had seen a video of the incident which was uploaded by one of the teen’s mothers to her Instagram profile last week and that the matter is being investigated.

CBS Los Angeles reported that the trio were teenagers. The sheriff’s department did not immediately have information Monday on what happened after the youths were detained.

Tammi Collins wrote on Instagram that her son was sitting with friends at a bus stop in the Santa Clarita Valley when a man first asked them if they had any drugs and then tried to steal their belongings. The man then allegedly pulled out a knife and tried to stab them.Collins wrote that bystanders called the police to help the boys, though she wrote that apparently one caller reported that the Black teens were attacking the other man.

The 11-minute video Collins posted shows at least three deputies pointing their guns at the teens including one deputy who had a long gun. The teens obeyed the deputies’ commands to back up with their hands up and knelt on the ground to be handcuffed.

Bystanders shouted at the officers that the kids didn’t do anything and they don’t care because they’re Black!

The bystanders also tried to advise the teens as they were being detained, saying keep your hands up, keep your hands up! as well as just listen to them and it’ll be over soon and don’t answer any questions until your mom gets there.

After the teens were handcuffed, the deputies argued with the crowd over what happened and what the callers reported.

If they werent doing wrong, we wouldnt be here, one deputy said.

It was not clear if Collins recorded the video but she wrote that she didn’t know how she could help her son in the aftermath.

This is something my son and his friends will never forget, she wrote.

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