Crime & Safety
Racial Profiling Allegations Investigated In Sarasota: Report
A video of a Black teen followed by a group of white men in a Sarasota neighborhood has been widely shared, a report said.
SARASOTA, FL — The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office is investigating allegations that a group of white men followed a Black teenager walking to his Sarasota home while taunting him, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune reported.
The teen recorded the Oct. 10 incident with his phone as he walked through the Skye Ranch neighborhood. His mother shared the video online and filed a complaint accusing the men of racial profiling with the sheriff’s office, reports said.
The video, which has been widely shared, can be viewed here.
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The agency said in a news release that it “is aware of a video circulating on various social media platforms.”
“Detectives have been assigned and are actively locating and interviewing witnesses in what appears to be an altercation involving neighbors and a male subject who was recording himself as he was walking,” SCSO said. “The sheriff’s office takes these matters seriously and will fully investigate any allegations of criminal activity.”
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Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the sheriff’s office at 941-316-1201 or its Investigations Bureau at 941-861-4900.
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