A white Florida man who allegedly pulled a gun on a black teenager for walking around was fired after video of the harassment went viral

The London Stock Exchange Group has fired one of its U.S.-based British employees after a racial profiling incident that resulted in several white residents following a black teenager around his own neighborhood, including an worker who allegedly pulled out a gun.

Despite accusations from multiple witnesses in Sarasota, Florida, authorities didn’t confirm the presence of a weapon during the incident and later concluded that no crime had been committed. in keeping with reports citing people acquainted with the event.

The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that it’s investigating and that detectives are actively in search of and interviewing witnesses in reference to a “dispute involving neighbors” that involved a black teenager walking down the street.

“The Sheriff’s Office takes these matters seriously and will thoroughly investigate any allegations of criminal activity,” sheriff’s officials said declared in an Oct. 16 Facebook post that also calls on witnesses to offer additional information.

Meanwhile, the company acted quickly, not waiting for the investigation to be accomplished before firing Stephen Carega for his involvement.

“The individual involved was initially suspended while we investigated the matter,” an LSEG spokesman said in a statement that didn’t mention Carega by name. “The investigation has now been completed and this individual’s employment has been terminated.”

The altercation occurred on October 10 in Sarasota, Florida, and got here to light a few days later when the teenager’s mother posted a series of videos on social media that quickly went viral.

The video shows a teenager walking through the Skye Ranch neighborhood after Hurricane Milton left their home without power.

The video shows Carega and two other men harassing the teenager as he walks down the street in his gated community, targeting him solely because he’s walking while Black.

One of the attackers rode next to the teenager on a bicycle, and his menacing presence added to the growing tension.

Carega’s face was clearly visible in the footage and web sleuths quickly identified him, resulting in a flood of offended messages directed at the London Stock Exchange Group on social media.

A wave of voices called on the company from global financial markets to take immediate motion. Reaction prolonged to LSEG’s LinkedIn page, where users publicly condemned Carega for his behavior, with many calling him “racist” and “morally reprehensible.”

In a statement announcing the termination of Carega’s employment, the company noted: “We expect the conduct of our employees to be of a high standard. LSEG has a zero-tolerance policy towards all forms of racism, discrimination, prejudice and harassment.”

The viral footage begins with a teenager walking around, pointing a cellphone camera back at himself, with Carega and his buddies following close behind.

A group of men peppered the young man with questions on who he was and what he did, implying that he didn’t belong in the area.

Witnesses say the harassment lasted for greater than 10 minutes, although the important video circulating online only captured a short portion of the encounter.

Throughout the entire ordeal, the teenager remained calm, said little, and continued walking despite the three strangers always surrounding him, despite his apparent attempts to mind his own business.

– What’s going on, buddy? Carega asked, walking as much as the teenager together with his white cap backwards, his shirt wet with sweat and his hands on his hips, but the teenager ignored him and continued to maneuver.

In the background, it looked like Carega had just gotten out of a white sports automotive that was parked haphazardly in the middle of the street with the doors wide open.

“He won’t answer my questions,” Carega told his partner before someone off camera said, “Obviously he doesn’t live here.”

“Loser,” chirped one other person.

Some parts of the audio are hard to make out as a consequence of wind interference, but you’ll be able to hear one of the men say something like, “This is a private community, so if you don’t live here, you have to leave,” followed by one other voice that said, ” Do you reside here? Are you visiting a friend?”

Then a tall, middle-aged white man with a beard approached the teenager together with his arms crossed and said, “The neighbors are starting to get concerned about him walking around my house.”

The teenager vehemently denied the allegations: “I won’t walk around your house,” he said with dismay.

“You just passed my house four times. I don’t know you, I’ve never seen you, and you keep walking past my house. So if you live here or have a friend you visit, no problem.”

At that time, the teenager interrupted the man’s tirade by shouting, “I’m not in front of your house.”

As the teen turned the camera back to the left, an SUV got here into view and pulled up next to him and parked. Carega was seen briefly talking to the driver through the window while a small child sat in the backseat. “You’re really following me,” the teen stated in disbelief, sensing things were escalating.

It’s unclear whether Carega recovered anything from the vehicle, as the teen focused the camera mostly on himself while a little girl in the backseat began screaming in the background.

Still, the teen seemed fearless as he slowly walked forward, the sound of his flip-flops gliding across the pavement.

“We’re just asking a question,” Carega pleaded in a British accent. – Do you reside here?

The teenager turned to Carega and replied maturely, “I’m part of the neighborhood.”

Carega: “You are part of the neighborhood. Does that mean you reside here?

The teenager kept away from answering.

Receiving no response, Carega argued: “It’s simple.”

This caused the teenager to laugh out loud, a mixture of annoyance and disbelief at the absurdity of the situation.

From there, Carega falsely accused the teenager of picking on his wife.

“You approached my wife,” he said firmly.

The teenager immediately denied it: “Bro, I didn’t approach your wife, brother” – he calmly added: “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

The teenager lowered the camera and tilted it upwards.

“I think I can take a walk around my neighborhood,” the teen said firmly.

“That’s true if you live here,” Carega shot back. – Do you reside here? he asked again.

The teenager then raised his voice, talking to Carega.

“You’re going to keep asking me the same question over and over again,” the teen said, attempting to make light of the situation, but he was clearly terrified. “That man following me is kind of a nuisance, isn’t he?” – the teenager asked, looking directly at the camera. – This is harassment, is not it? – he repeated.

“I think what you did to my wife is true,” Carega said, attempting to escalate the situation.

The video cuts out from there, but the situation continues to escalate with a gun being drawn, although this alleged act didn’t appear in the video viewed by Atlanta Black Star.

There was outrage on social media over the incident, putting immediate pressure on LSEG to punish Carega, while local law enforcement has yet to take any motion.

The company’s LinkedIn page was flooded with comments describing disturbing actions of employees while working in America. The most relevant comment got here from a user named Shawan B who said:

“I want to draw attention to an incident involving Stephen Carega. In an alarming act, Stephen pointed a gun at a young black boy who was simply walking down the street. This act of aggression and intimidation is not only morally reprehensible, but may also constitute a crime. I trust that you will take appropriate action to resolve this matter.”

The TikTok video has garnered over 5 million views, with many individuals comparing the encounter to the racism seen during the Jim Crow era.

Last week, the Sarasota Police Department released a statement on Facebook addressing the barrage of inquiries it had received about the incident, explaining that it occurred outside its jurisdiction and that the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office was investigating.

On Oct. 16, the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office also shared a Facebook post saying the department was aware of video circulating on various social media platforms showing an incident in the Skye Ranch neighborhood.