Three Florida college students are still shaken after an unprovoked encounter with a white Florida man brandishing a gun.
The young entrepreneurs, two of whom are Black, started a car detailing business to make money over the summer break, according to local station 10 Tampa Bay.
The boys were canvassing a neighborhood near Gulfport, going door to door to hand out flyers, when an armed bald man in a tattered T-shirt and sunglasses approached.
As the frightened student put it, “When he asked me for ID, I reached for my phone. I just wanted to record whatever last moments I had.”
A June 30 video that has since gone viral captured what happened next. The news outlet confirmed that police are still investigating the incident.
An aggressive white man approached 3 well mannered college aged young men who owned a mobile detail business with a firearm. When the police arrived, the college kids received a warning for not having proper permits. The man received no reprimand at all. pic.twitter.com/1XNcYkkdg8
— 🌎 Kev_Almighty 🌎 (@BigYash_609) July 1, 2026
The man wielding the gun told the young men, “If you guys are f–king around, you’re f–king around on the wrong street.” He demanded to know, “Why ya’ll going door to door?”
The students calmly explained what they were doing, but it fell on deaf ears.
Implying they were casing the neighborhood, the man told the three, “I can tell you’re checking out the neighborhood, and I want to know why.”
One responded, “We don’t have any bad intentions at all, sir. We’re just young kids; we’re college kids trying to make money this summer.” Another added, referring to the gun, “Can you please put that away?”
When police arrived, they reportedly warned the three to get a permit. Door-to-door solicitation is legal throughout Florida, but Pinellas County requires a permit.
The gun-wielding man, who told the younger men on camera he’s “always ready to shoot,” remains under police investigation. Brandishing a firearm threateningly in public can lead to criminal charges, depending on what investigators find.
X commenters condemned the man’s behavior. One shocked viewer asked, “Who pulls a gun out on kids? Such a sorry situation.”
Others did not hold back with their criticism. “That old guy probably thought he was hot sh*t pulling that gun out, but all he did was show how much of a coward he is,” one person commented. “He was that terrified of some young kids. He had to pull out a pistol. Imagine being that fragile and scared as a man.”
The online conversation shifted from ridicule to a sharper critique of what enabled his behavior in the first place.
“He comes from the generation that allowed this level of harassment. He is entitled and knows there’s a system that protects him from consequences,” another wrote. “He thinks he has authority over them. This is the attitude of a bigot.”
As for the boys, they are rethinking their marketing strategy. One told 10 Tampa Bay, “I don’t think I’m gonna go door-knocking after this.”
