*Jonathan Pentland, the Fort Jackson drill instructor who has gone viral over a video showing him aggressively harassing and threatening a Black man, has been charged with third-degree assault.
Pentland, 42, was charged Wednesday and listed as detained in the Richland County jail, per The Huffington Post. In the footage posted Monday by a woman on Facebook, Pentland is seen demanding that a Black man leave the neighborhood before physically assaulting him.
“You’re in the wrong neighborhood,” Pentland, standing on the sidewalk, can be heard saying to the man. “I ain’t playing with you. … I’m about to show you what I can do.”
Per Complex, Fort Jackson’s Media Relations Officer confirmed in an email that “the soldier in the video is stationed at Fort Jackson,” and he’s been charged by the Richland County Sheriff’s Department, and the Department of Justice “is also looking into the incident.”
Big bad steroid man, Jonathan Petland, a military sergeant, who assaulted young DeAndre, hid in the crib when the Fam rolled up to confront him.
He was Mr. tough guy when alone against a brother half his size. His she devil wife didn’t want no smoke from the sistahs either. pic.twitter.com/jDzuLLE2EX
— Bishop Talbert Swan (@TalbertSwan) April 15, 2021
In the two-minute video, the Black man is heard explaining to Pentland that he was out for a walk.
“I didn’t hit you,” the white man is heard saying. “There’s a different between pushing you [and hitting you]. You’re aggressing on the neighborhood.” From there, Pentland screams at and pushes the other man.
“Walk away!” he says. “Walk away! Check it out, you either walk away or I’m gonna carry your ass out here.” The Black man says he “didn’t do anything,” and explains that he lives in the neighborhood.
“I’m about to do something to you,” Pentland says in the footage. “I ain’t coming after you. You’re in the wrong neighborhood, motherf*cker. You wanna bet what I can do?”
The Black man explains he’s “not harassing anyone walking through the neighborhood I live in.” He also tells the individual he “smells drunk.”
Fort Jackson Commanding General Brig. Gen. Milford H. Beagle, Jr. tweeted that Pentland’s actions are “by no means condoned by any service member.” In a separate statement, Fort Jackson noted that his behavior is “not consistent with our Army values and will not be condoned.”
The viral clip prompted protestors to gather outside of Pentland’s home on Wednesday.
Twitter, I’m told this super douche lives in The Summit in Columbia, South Carolina. If you recognize him, please DM me — I want to make sure the name I have is accurate before I blast it all over social media. pic.twitter.com/LYAVzL2FaE
— Angry Staffer (@Angry_Staffer) April 13, 2021
In a statement, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department said Sheriff Leon Lott intends to meet with elected officials “and representatives of various organizations” to discuss the disturbing incident.
“Sheriff Lott realizes the importance of putting out correct information quickly as there has been a lot of incorrect information distributed through Facebook and other social media,” the statement said. “We want to ensure the community knows this incident has been a priority for our Department. The video in itself is very disturbing and has helped tremendously in our investigation. More information will be provided when it becomes available.”
Leslie Ann “LA” Sully, Fort Jackson’s Media Relations Officer, stated in an email to Complex:
“The soldier in the video is stationed at Fort Jackson and Richland County Sheriff’s Department have confirmed that he has been charged. The U.S. Department of Justice is also looking into the incident. Team Jackson and will work closely with each law enforcement agency as investigations move forward. The command team, our Criminal Investigation Division (Army CID) agents, and our Staff Judge Advocate teams are all engaged with their professional counterparts and civil authorities to seek the facts which will determine how the investigations progress.”
This is right now at the sidewalk outside #JonathanPentland‘s house where he assaulted a young Black man pic.twitter.com/Z1jeNhfguE
— Fifty Shades of Whey (@davenewworld_2) April 14, 2021
The email included remarks from Brig. Gen. Milford Beagle, Jr.
“The leaders at Fort Jackson in no way condone the behavior depicted in the video posted recently. This action deeply impacts our community—the neighbors in the Summit, the city of Columbia, Richland & Lexington counties, and our Army family,” he stated. “I ask that our communities and leaders exercise a degree of patience, affording Sherriff Lott and law enforcement investigators to account for the full measure of events before, during, and after the incident that was recorded.”
He added, “I remain deeply concerned for the members of our Army family, the young man and his family, and the tensions that activities like this amplify over time; please be patient as facts are determined.”
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