Florida deputies launch investigation after video showing four white men stalking a black teenager in neighborhood

A set of videos widely shared on social media shows four white men following and harassing a black teenager in a Florida neighborhood.

Whitney Portela posted clips on Facebook and TikTok showing her 18-year-old son walking through a Sarasota housing project with four older white men following him and teasing him about where he lives.

The videos posted on Tuesday garnered greater than four million views on TikTok overnight.

Portela explained what happened before the incident. Right after Hurricane Milton passed through town, she said there was no power in their house and cell reception was very poor, so her son went outside to call his girlfriend and take a walk around his house. area.

The teenager began recording himself while four white men, who appear to live in the identical neighborhood, began harassing him and pressuring him for answers about where he lived.

“Of course he doesn’t live here,” one in every of the men says I heard a saying in the background.

“You walked past my house four times, I don’t know you, I’ve never seen you before, and you walk past my house over and over again,” one other man tells the teenager.

– Do you reside here? – one other man asks.

“I’m part of the neighborhood,” the teenager replies.

“Do you reside here? You approached my wife,” accuses one in every of the men.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” the teenager says. – And I feel I can walk around my neighborhood.

“Yes, if you live here,” one in every of the men replies.

Portela stated that although the recordings only show snippets of the interaction, her son was observed for over ten minutes.

“I’m so happy he recorded every moment and I’m grateful my baby is still here,” Portela wrote on TikTok. “I don’t want to live in a community that doesn’t welcome me and my children because of the color of our skin.”

Another clip posted by Portela shows one in every of the pursuers getting out of a white sedan, pulling something from the passenger seat after which attempting to attack the teenager before one other man stopped him and restrained him. Although it’s difficult to acknowledge it in the video, many viewers suggested that the person had pulled out a gun.

In one other video, the teenager stops to refer to a Sarasota County sheriff’s deputy who stopped at a marked unit. The teenager points to a group of men following him and asks the deputy if their behavior could possibly be considered harassment.

The video ends before showing how his encounter with the deputy ended.

Needless to say, 1000’s of individuals expressed disgust and anger and urged the family to press charges.

“Why is that this man making wild accusations against his wife? I’m sorry you are going through this,” one person commented.

“I can’t imagine how scared he must have felt at that moment,” one other person added. “It must have been terrifying.”

The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office posted on Facebook that it’s “aware of a video circulating on various social media platforms depicting an event that occurred in the Skye Ranch neighborhood on Thursday, October 10.”

“Detectives have been assigned and are actively locating and interviewing witnesses to what appears to be an altercation involving neighbors and a man who was recording himself while walking,” the post reads.

The agency is asking anyone with any information in regards to the incident to contact its office or investigation office.

The president of the Sarasota chapter of the NAACP said Sarasota Herald-Tribune that the organization is working with the sheriff’s office and the teenager’s family.

“When the video came across my desk, it was very disturbing,” said President Trevor Harvey.

Adding: “It is disturbing that we continue to struggle with these types of issues for young men of color this year. It’s sad that we can’t even walk around our neighborhood without being harassed by someone who doesn’t look like us because they think we don’t belong there. This is a clear picture of what is happening in our country.”

Harvey continued: “It reflects the climate we are in. It’s depressing that we still have to deal with these types of problems. I immediately became concerned because it reminded me of Ahmaud Aubrery, and we don’t want a tragedy like that in our community… these people need to be held accountable.”

Atlanta Black Star has reached out to the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office and the Sarasota NAACP for an update on the investigation and is currently awaiting any responses.