SLED is now investigating a suspended Beaufort County Sheriff’s deputy who was caught on video repeatedly pointing a gun at several boys and threatening to shoot.
The sheriff’s office says the deputy was off duty and in his own Hilton Head neighborhood Sunday night when they got a call about a disturbance just before 7 p.m. Authorities have yet to release the deputy’s name.
But the video, shared on social media, clearly shows the deputy’s face as he tells a group of boys to “get on the ground” with his gun drawn. He’s dressed in a sheriff’s office vest and shorts.
There’s a scuffle for a bookbag which the deputy takes. And, as the boys shout to bystanders to call police, the deputy tells them, “I am the police”.
One of the boys is seen being kicked by the deputy and dragged to the ground by the sleeve of his shirt, while another boy lunges at the deputy to fight back. The video lasts more than a minute and ends with one boy repeatedly screaming for his mom.
The Beaufort County Sheriff’s office says the deputy has been suspended without pay pending an internal investigation and “any possible criminal investigation”. Authorities say a command staff member who responded to the scene took the deputy’s badge and weapons.
The sheriff’s office is asking anyone with information or video to come forward and assist with the case.