Police investigating viral video of white man pulling gun to prevent black students entering housing complex

Tallahassee police are investigating a viral video that appears to show a white man holding several black students at gunpoint in an effort to stop them from getting in an elevator at a student housing complex.

In a video posted on Twitter by Florida A&M student Isiah Butterfield, a man identified as Don Crandall pushes past the students before locking them out of a student housing complex owned by the Baymont Inn & Suites by Wyndham Hotels.

{mosads}Crandall, a manager with the company, did not live in the complex, according to BuzzFeed News, and could be seen in the video using his body to block the students from entering the complex before eventually drawing his weapon.

“He came at us for no reason and that’s when Chad [a white bystander who defended the boys] walked up and I started recording,” Butterfield said. “Chad stood up for us and pushed back on the guy and said we could come in with him.”

The boys, along with the bystander, argued with Crandall for several minutes, with Crandall attempting to leave the situation to “go get laid” in the video.

Crandall then pulls a gun before saying, “If you don’t got a key to this building, you don’t belong in the elevator.”

Butterfield in a tweet likened the man to people who burned Nike gear and equipment following the release of an ad campaign featuring Colin Kaepernick.

“These are the kind of people that are burning Nike products , we are sick of the discrimination never thought I’d have a personal experience with racism like this, this man pulled a gun on us because we were walking up to my friends apartment w/o a key,” Butterfield tweeted.

These are the kind of people that are burning Nike products , we are sick of the discrimination never thought I’d have a personal experience with racism like this, this man pulled a gun on us because we were walking up to my friends apartment w/o a key pic.twitter.com/TlMFQjoM1N

— zay❕ (@_IsaiahNoThomas) September 8, 2018

The Baymont company, which owns the student housing complex, told BuzzFeed News that Crandall had been fired for the actions caught on video, while Florida A&M acknowledged that it was aware of an “off-campus incident” involving its students.

“Firearms are prohibited on our property and we take this matter very seriously,” the management said in a message to residents obtained by BuzzFeed. “Moreover, we are firmly committed to creating a diverse residential community that is inclusive and welcoming to all.”

Tallahassee police told the news outlet that they are investigating the incident, but that no arrests have been made.