LASD To Review Rifle Policy After Pulling Guns On Teen Victims

LOS ANGELES, CA —The Los Angeles Sheriff's Department will conduct an in-depth review of its rifle policy in the wake of a viral video from Friday in which deputies trained their guns on three Black teenagers, who were the victims of a robbery attempt. The video shows those guns, including an AR- 15, pointed at the boys for roughly 10 minutes despite the shouts and pleas of bystanders and the woman who called the police in the first place

"As a result of that interaction, Sheriff Villanueva has directed a thorough review of our policy as it pertains to the deployment of the AR-15 rifle, as seen in the video," Los Angeles County sheriff's Chief Dennis Kneer said in a video posted on Twitter. "We will thoroughly review our actions related to this incident and take appropriate action as necessary."

The sheriff's department has yet to identify the policy that led the deputies to train their guns on the unarmed kids, handcuffing at least one of them, and dismissing the witnesses who pointed out the man they said had tried to rob the kids at knifepoint.

In just three days, millions had seen the video. It includes several fraught minutes in which frantic bystanders shout at officers that they’ve made a mistake while others warn the boys to leave their hands in the air lest they risk being shot.

The incident occurred Friday about 5 p.m. in the 19200 block of Soledad Canyon Road, near Whites Canyon Road, according to Deputy Juanita Navarro-Suarez of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

Tammi Collins, the mother of one of the teens, wrote on Instagram that multiple witnesses called authorities after seeing the group of teenagers being attacked. She said one of the callers reported that the attack was carried out by a homeless man.

The man had allegedly asked the teens if they "had any crack then tried to take their things," Collins said. He took out a knife and a whip, and the teens "only had their skateboards to cover them from the knife and whip," according to Collins.

Video posted to twitter shows three deputies point their guns at the three teens on the side of the busy street. The teens stand in front of a bus stop, holding their hands in the air.

A woman can be heard shouting, “This is crazy. It was the other guy.”

"It's the other guy!" a woman repeats. "Put your guns down. They're kids. They weren't doing anything."

Another woman identifies herself as the manager of a nearby business and the person who called 911.

"I am the one who called you. It was not them," she said.

The deputies shout at the bystanders to back up, all the while pointing their weapons at the teens.
The witnesses call out to the teens to tell them to keep their hands up, so that they aren't shot by the officers.

Deputies respond by telling the witnesses to back up, and at least one of the teens is seen being detained in the background while multiple deputies point their guns. It was not immediately clear if anyone was arrested.

One woman can be heard claiming the deputies are ignoring the witnesses and handcuffing the boys because they are Black.

The video had been viewed on Twitter more than 3 million times as of Monday afternoon. Sheriff Alex Villanueva said he was among those who saw the video.

"I have seen the recent video involving a Santa Clarita incident which has gone viral and I have concerns regarding the tactics employed," Villanueva said in a video on Twitter Monday afternoon. "The matter is currently being investigated."

Robert Brown, an attorney for one of the teen's told the Los Angeles Times, “I just can’t believe that the only way to handle this was to approach it with guns drawn.”

Collins posted the video on her Instagram on Saturday and it was circulated widely on Twitter.
"This is something my son and his friends will never forget," Collins wrote in her post. "I'm still wonder(ing) how will I ever help my son recover from this traumatic experience. Please pray for my family."

Editor's note: This video contains graphic language.

City News Service contributed to this report.