On Wednesday, a white soldier was seen pushing a Black man who was just strolling through South Carolina’s neighborhood. The man in question, Jonathon Pentland was seen hurling abuses at the man and declaring that this neighborhood is not his. This vile exchange of words was caught on camera by a passerby, who shared the video across all social media platforms.
Although the exact reason for Pentland’s outburst is unknown, it is suspected that there may just be a bigger problem at hand. According to the passerby, Shadae McCallum, the Black man had allegedly harassed several women in the neighborhood. This evoked a sense of anger within Jonathon Pentland, who decided to take matters into his own hands, said McCallum to The Post and Carrier.
McCallum’s views were supported by Richland County’s Sheriff Leon Lott who stated that the unknown Black man had quite possibly been a part of several incidents that were deemed as inappropriate. At a press conference, Lott cited two incidents in the area where a Black man had purportedly put his arm around a woman and also coddled a baby without the mother’s consent. However, he ardently declared that these vague reasons do not justify an assault at any cost.
When the police had reached the scene, Jonathon Pentland had profoundly stated that he had no intentions of wreaking havoc, and was only concerned for his wife’s safety. He confessed to shoving the man’s phone from his hand; an event that occurred soon after McCallum stopped filming the video as reported by The Post and Carrier.
Right after the Sheriff Lott saw the video of Jonathon Pentland misbehaving with the man, he felt extremely disgusted. Moreover, he further added that the events that unfolded in the video were not only terrible, but also completely uncalled for. As termed by Pentland in his press conference; “It is a bad video” and the man assaulted by Pentland is no less than a victim.
The video that went viral is just a testament to the hardships faced by the people of color. They are called out for just roaming around the neighborhood. According to ABC News, the soldier had already been charged for assault and battery, a charge that will either make him pay a fine of $500 or serve 30 days in jail or both.
