Dozens of Black Lives Matter protesters gathered outside the home of a South Carolina soldier accused of assaulting a black man in a video that is now viral.
Videos showed a large group holding BLM signs and shouting through a megaphone on Wednesday as they stood in the street outside 42-year-old Sergeant Jonathan Pentland’s home, just outside Columbia.
“I’m in your yard!” a woman was immediately seen fired at the house believed to be from Pentland, who went viral for addressing a black man and telling him he was in the “wrong neighborhood, mother f-ker”.
“We just want to talk, we want to understand some things, that’s it,” she shouted in the video, as others said, “No justice, no peace!”
“What are you going to do? Are you going to stay here every day?” Shouted the main character. Other clips show even more protesters in the street shouting through megaphones later in the day.
It was not immediately clear whether Pentland would have been home at the time, as he was arrested on Wednesday and charged with third-degree assault and battery for the encounter captured on camera Monday.
The clip did not reveal what led to the confrontation, but a woman was heard accusing the stranger of arguing with “a random young lady,” which he denied.
Sheriff Leon Lott later said the man had been involved in other incidents in the area in the days leading up to the video, but “none of them justified the attack that took place.”
He did not explain what he was accused of and refused to identify him.
“The first time I saw the video, it was awful. There was no need, ”Lott said.
Based in Fort Jackson since 2019, Pentland has served as a drill sergeant at the Garrison, a 53,000-acre complex that trains 50% of all soldiers and 60% of women who join the military each year.
“The leaders of Fort Jackson in no way condone the behavior depicted in the video posted recently,” said Fort Jackson Commander Brig. Gene. Milford Beagle, Jr.
“This action has a profound impact on our community – The Summit’s neighbors, the city of Columbia, Richland and Lexington counties, and our military family,” said Beagle.
The Justice Department is also investigating, the military confirmed.
With pole wires