‘Make It Home Alive’: Black Teens Say Mall Security, Cops Zeroed In on Them for a Fight They Never Even Saw, and the Video Has People Furious
A family has filed a complaint after authorities accused three Black teenagers of being involved in a fight.
@azooore4 posted a series of videos on his TikTok last week at the North Hills Mall in Raleigh, North Carolina. He said he and his cousins were going to see a movie and get some ice cream.
At some point in the evening, @azooore4 said he met up with three other cousins who were at a nearby concert. That’s when police approached them and accused them of being involved in a fight.
“So I’m letting you know they don’t want you on the property,” a police officer told @azooore4. The five cousins complied, giving officers their driver’s licenses and answering questions.
In another video, a security guard accused the three teenagers of fighting. The security guard had allegedly told them to go because the mall’s curfew was in effect.
“I seen them running through everybody fighting,” the guard said.
According to the mall’s website, anyone under 18 must be accompanied by an adult in public areas after 8 p.m.
In another video, you could hear one parent ask the teenagers whether they had the officers’ information.
“I was a little anxious due to the police officers surrounding all of us,” @azooore4 said on TikTok. “I come from a good family… we don’t participate in stuff like that.”
One officer kept blaming the mall security team, Kane Security, for the cousins’ trespassing citations. She also continued to claim the teenagers had been there all night, even though they said they had just arrived.
“I don’t know; she was very aggressive and hostile,” @azooore4 said.
Many people online were shocked by the videos.
“First of all, the goal is to make it home alive, which they did. Second – you file a complaint with the city and sue, which I’m sure mom is doing,” @scrape commented in TikTok.
“You guys better file a lawsuit or something…this is so wrong,” @risingwarrior90 added.
“Regardless of the situation, I’m proud of y’all for staying calm and getting home,” @KVMcKinley commented.
Atlanta Black Star reached out to the Raleigh Police Department and @azooore4 to learn more, but has not heard back. ABS will continue to follow the story as it develops.