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A video of a man aggressively confronting Black Lives Matter (BLM) protesters in Texas has gone viral on social media after the man was recorded angrily lashing out at demonstrators.
The Dallas Observer reported that last weekend, BLM supporters led a march through two cities in the state, Plano, and Frisco, in memory of Marvin Scott III after a medical examiner officially ruled his death a homicide.
According to the report, as protesters finished the march they crossed a busy intersection and caused traffic to stall. As a traffic jam ensued, a tall white man wearing sunglasses was seen confronting protesters.
Now, a clip of the interaction has gone viral, having received more than 2.7 million views on Twitter.
In the footage, an unidentified man can be heard screaming obscenities at protesters as they stand in the road. The man then confronts a police officer present at the scene and shouts at him.
People are seen holding their phones up to record the reaction and the man apparently lunges at a woman and reportedly hits her device from her hand.
He holds his fists up as demonstrators shout back at him and tell him to leave. According to The Observer, the man confronts Mr Scott’s family’s attorney Lee Merritt and can be seen at one point grabbing his chest.
Warning: the video below contains language that some people may find offensive
The officer later attempts to move the man away as he continues to confront demonstrators and can be heard yelling “get the f*** out of my way” repeatedly before walking away.
Online, viewers have questioned why the police officer present made no move to detain the man following his outburst and allowed him to leave the scene.
“The cops just allowed this?,” one person said, while another asked: “And police are there and doing nothing?”
Hava Johnston, a community advocate, echoed similar sentiments to The Observer, saying: “The question is: Why wasn’t that guy treated the same way that a person of colour would have been treated?”
The advocate said that additional officers were present at the scene and police vehicles were parked at each corner of that intersection.
The Independent has reached out to the Plano police department for comment.
Mr Scott III died while in custody on a marijuana possession charge on 14 March. The 26-year-old, who had previously been diagnosed with schizophrenia, was restrained and pepper-sprayed and put in a spit hood after being initially taken to hospital, The Texas Tribune reported.
He later became unresponsive and was declared dead in hospital. Seven officers have been fired following the death and another has resigned. Their names have not been publicly released.
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