Teens held at gunpoint by deputies after being victims of knife attack, CA lawyer says

Three teenagers were held at gunpoint by Los Angeles County deputies after bystanders called 911 for a knife attack, an attorney for one of the teen’s families said.

The three teenagers, at least two of whom are Black, were sitting at a bus stop Friday in Santa Clarita “when a man approached and asked if they had any crack,” attorney Robert Brown told The Los Angeles Times. The teens used their skateboards as shields after the man pulled out a knife.

Bystanders called the police but when deputies arrived, they held the teens at gunpoint and detained them, Brown said. “During all of this time, you have bystanders telling them that, in fact, the teens are the victims,” Brown said. “And the deputies don’t seem to be quite so responsive.”

Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said in a statement on the department’s Facebook page he had “concerns about the tactics employed” in the incident.

“A call for service was received as a felony assault, and the deputies detained those that were allegedly involved,” he said.

Tammi Collins, whose 16-year-old son was one of the teens detained, posted an Instagram video of the incident.

“Several bystanders including the restaurant manager of Buffalo Wild wings called the police to get help for the boys but one caller called the police and reported two black guys are attacking a homeless guy,” she wrote in the caption. “This is how the police responded. This is something my son and his friends will never forget.”

The video shows the teenagers being detained after two police officers had their weapons drawn while another points a gun at the teens.

“I was thinking to myself, ‘Thank God my boy didn’t flinch, or whatever, scratch or whatever,’” Lisa Gray said about her son, another one of the teens in the video, according to CBS Los Angeles. “Because I felt like all he needed to see was for them to move an inch.”

Santa Clarita Mayor Cameron Smyth released a statement on Twitter on Monday:

“After seeing the concerning video of deputies detaining local teens at gun point, @santaclarita has not only called for a full and expedited review of incident, but that the deputy be immediately removed from the field until the investigation is complete.”

This story was originally published August 11, 2020 at 11:58 AM with the headline "Teens held at gunpoint by deputies after being victims of knife attack, CA lawyer says."