An encounter between a CVS employee and a Black teenager escalated to a 911 call that ended in the teen’s arrest after the employee alleged he had a knife when he didn’t.
Local news outlets reported that police officers in North Charleston, South Carolina, were called to a CVS store on Sept. 29 to respond to a disturbance involving a youth.
“The caller reported that a male individual inside the store was yelling, using profane language, and had allegedly threatened staff. It was also indicated that the individual may have been armed with a knife,” North Charleston Police Chief Ron Camacho said in a statement.
Police said once they located the teen matching the suspect description, they took him into custody after a brief struggle.
However, no weapon was found, and no injuries were reported.
A video of the arrest went viral online and shows the teen and a police officer in a struggle as the cop tries to handcuff the teen.
The teen is seen resisting and protesting his detainment, flagged by witnesses who yell that he did nothing wrong. As the teen continues to struggle, two more cops join in to try to subdue him.
One witness recording the arrest confronts the employee who called 911 and reported that the boy threatened her.
Witness: “You did this!”
CVS Employee: “You didn’t understand what he did! He threatened me with a knife!”
Witness: “No, I was in the store the entire time, honey, I saw it all!”
CVS Employee: “Then why didn’t you defend me?”
Witness: “Defend you? Because he did nothing wrong!”
The video pans back to the view of the struggle as the crowd gathers and more officers arrive. One cop asks the crowd about the 911 call.
“Y’all called because he pulled a knife on you?” the cop asks, triggering outraged shouts from bystanders.
“No he didn’t! He didn’t do nothing!” one woman yells.
The woman recording the arrest adds that the CVS cashier who called the cops mistook the slang the teen used for a threat.
“The only thing he said he would pull out is a band and a band is money!” she shouted. “If she don’t know the slang, she need to shut the hell up!”
Authorities said that after they took the teen into custody, they charged him with third-degree assault and breach of peace before releasing him back to his parents.
“We understand that this incident has raised questions within our community, especially given that it involved a juvenile. While there have been reports that the individual may have been selling candy, that detail remains unconfirmed,” Camacho said.
Police also concluded that the responding officers violated no policies after conducting an internal investigation into the incident.
“In accordance with department policy, incidents involving any use of force are reviewed by our Office of Professional Standards (Internal Affairs) and the Use of Force Training Unit. No policy violations were identified, Camacho said.
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