In the shocking footage, four cops are seen pointing their guns at a young black man who was kneeling down after getting suspected of involvement in a shoplifting incident at a nearby gas station.
As seen in the video, the officers were holding the man at a gunpoint while he repeatedly told them he was unarmed.
After a moment, an upset bystander rushed to the scene and confronted the cops who surrounded the man at a gas station in Hawthorne, Los Angeles, California.
24-year-old William Ewell was arrested on suspicion of shoplifting because he “loosely matches the description” of the criminal.
While Ewell was on his knees, Sky Holsey pulled out her cellphone and began recording the incident. According to her, the man was clearly in shock and was compliant with the orders of the police. Nevertheless, they wouldn’t lower their weapons.
In the video, Holsey is heard telling Ewell not to move because they would shoot him just like they allegedly shot her boyfriend back in 2015.
Holsey is also heard slamming the officers for keeping the man at a gunpoint despite him already surrendering by falling on his knees.
After sharing the video on social media, Holsey received a lot of praise with people commending her for “saving his life.”
“Is all that really necessary? Is all the guns drawn on him necessary?” Sky questioned the police.
One of the officers responded by saying they were called to the scene over a robbery and claimed the 24-year-old “loosely” matched the description of the perpetrator.
“We’re not saying he’s a suspect, but we’ve got to figure out what’s going on,” the officer explained. “It says a weapon was involved. That’s the only reason he gets held at gunpoint.”
According to the Hawthorne Police Department, an attendant alerted the police and “pointed to a male subject [and said] that he just assaulted an employee and walked out of the store.” During that time, the authorities also received an emergency call about a robbery that possibly included weapons.
As the police claim, Ewell and his associate got into a fight with a cashier at the gas station whom they assaulted before running out of the store. They haven’t confirmed whether Ewell was actually in possession of a weapon during the incident or not.
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