Jonathan Pentland, a 42-year-old Army drilling sergeant in Fort Jackson, SC, is charged with third-degree assault, also known as simple assault, in connection with a viral video showing a black man man on a South Carolina sidewalk during an argument.
The events that preceded the video were not recorded, and Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott declined to give details, although he noted that the Blackman in the video had been involved in other incidents in the area in recent days.
“There were a few other things that happened – that were the actions of [Pentland], “Lott said during a news conference Wednesday.
ARMY DRILL SERGEANT ON VIRAL VIDEO INVOLVED BLACK MAN
On April 14, 2021, a discussion photo of the Richland County Detention Center, SC, is shown of Jonathan Pentland, a U.S. Army sergeant charged with third-degree assault and battery. (Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center via AP)
The Blackman, whose name has been withheld by authorities but identified on social media as “Deandre”, is accused of simple assault for allegedly touching a woman’s waist after her shorts fell on April 8. And on April 10, he was accused of repeatedly picking up a baby and trying to walk away with it. Lott said the charges would not be prosecuted.
In the viral video, the Pentland woman can be heard accusing the man of having a fight with a “random young lady” nearby, an allegation he denies.
The Pentlands did not respond to several Fox News requests for comment. Information on whether he detained a lawyer was not immediately available.
According to an incident report, an unnamed ‘white woman’ asked Pentland to confront the man, who was then walking on the sidewalk outside his home in The Summit, a community northeast of Columbia, SC.
Sheriff Lott said Wednesday that officers at the scene did not have enough evidence to accuse Pentland at the time of anything more than a property crime because they allegedly knocked the man’s phone out of his hands and damaged it.
But the incident report states that the officers who responded to it reviewed cellphone video that showed ‘Jonathan is pushing [redacted] because [he] walked to Jonathan’s wife, who was on her yard. ‘
RELEASED VIDEO OF BLACK MAN DRIVEN BY SOLDIER
In the viral video, Pentland can be seen pushing the man as he walks to the lawn, and Pentland says, “Walk away. You’re talking to my wife now. Walk away.”
Shadae McCallum, who received recognition for recording the original video and shared it on social media, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
After the sheriff announced the assault charge, Black Lives Matter gathered protesters outside Pentland’s home. Authorities said most of them were peaceful, but vandals in the crowd damaged parts of the house. Delegates took the family to a safe place and advised only locals to enter the area.
Vandalism included throwing an object through a second-floor window and smashing exterior lights.
The base said Thursday night that Pentland, a sergeant in Fort Jackson, had been suspended due to instructor duties pending an investigation and the outcome of his criminal case.
“Fort Jackson continues to work and support with Sheriff Lott, our local law enforcement and community and civic leadership as this case continues,” said Fort Jackson Commander Brig. Genl Milford Beagle Jr. said in a statement.
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The maximum fine for third-degree assault is a fine of $ 500 and 30 days imprisonment. Pentland was released on its own recognition.