*Parents of an 11-year-old Black boy are suing a white apartment manager in North Carolina for hitting him and pouring soda on him.
According to the lawsuit, Kimberly Jennings, 62, got physical with Robert Eury and Joella Lee-Eury’s son and daughter while they were using the pool at the apartment complex she manages, TMZ reports. Jace Lee-Eury, 11, and his little sister were swimming in the pool at the Sedgefield Garden Apartments in Greensboro, where their friends live, when Jennings ordered them out of the water.
As they were attempting to leave, Jennings poured soda over the boy’s head and struck him in the face multiple times, The Daily Mail reported. The disturbing moment was caught on camera and the footage went viral once posted online.
Their lawsuit also claims Jennings pulled their daughter’s hair and hit her after ordering the kids out of the pool. Jennings allegedly said her brother “was acting like a real n*****.”
According to WFMY, there were “no trespassing” signs around the complex.
According to Jennings, the children have been there several times and were told to leave. She issued a statement apologizing for her violent reaction.
“The other day, when he was out there, we asked him to leave, and he was mouthy, and I just, I had a soda in my hand, and I tossed it on him, and then I popped him. I did, I admit I did, and it was wrong,” the statement read.
“When you’ve done it and you’ve done it and you’ve done it and you’ve asked him not to come back. I just reacted. But, I will say that I’m sorry that I did that. I should’ve handled it differently.”
When police spoke to the two children, Jace said Jennings never said they couldn’t use the pool.
“She said not to come back this time. The other time she never said not to come back, so that’s why we kept going,” Jace said.
According to Robert Lee-Eury, his mother allowed the children to use the pool since it’s next to her apartment complex.
“Grandma allowed them to go to the pool because it’s literally right in the next complex through the field, less than a two-minute walk,” he told WFMY.
The now-viral incident prompted police to later arrest Jennings on an assault charge.
“You don’t need to put your hands on nobody’s child at all. It isn’t your responsibility,” Robert said. “There is a different way to go about it.”
The parents are suing for discrimination, assault and battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress, per TMZ. They are taking legal action against Jennings, the apartment complex, and the real estate company.
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