https://www.facebook.com/100024992618083/videos/171481773694909/
Video footage of a Baltimore County officer stopping a Black man in Kohl’s and aggressively getting in his face has recently went viral.
Shopper John Holt said in the video he felt the officer H.R. Persuhn was harassing him in the department store and wouldn’t walk away from the young man unless his identification was given to check for an arrest warrant.
In the video Holt is shown walking into Kohl’s with his fiancee and before he could began shopping the officer stopped him and said, “I think you may have a warrant,” Persuhn said. “Because I’ve dealt with you before.”
The 24-year-old’s significant other is heard in the background recording the intense encounter as Holt continued to say “this is harassment.” The cop responded back, “It’s not harassment, it’s called, I’m doing my job.”
During the incident Persuhn lost his cool, charged at the shopper, began pointing his finger in his face and accused Holt of yelling although the man was not speaking much louder than the officer.
The filming of the event happened June 7., but according to police a 2017 incident is what led to the encounter.
Holt was reportedly caught shoplifting clothing items from J.C. Penney in September at White Marsh Mall and Persuhn was the officer who responded to the call said Baltimore County police spokesman Shawn Vinson according to the Baltimore Sun.
However, the 24-year-old returned the items and he was later charged with petty theft according to court records. A warrant was issued for the young man in March, but was soon recollected according to the news source. The subpoena was served in May and Holt isn’t due to appear in court until July 19.
The video on Holt’s Facebook page was viewed more than 669,000 times.
Vinson told WJZ-TV that, “The [police] department reviewed the incident, reviewed the body camera footage that was related to it, and at this point, we do not see any violations of any departmental rules or regulations.”