The family of a South Carolina Army drill sergeant, who is under investigation after allegedly assaulting a Black man, has been moved from their home for their safety, according to police.
The family of Johnathan Pentland, 42, were taken from their home in Summit, near Columbia, after protestors gathered outside on Wednesday.
Protestors gathered outside the home and chanted “no justice, no peace!” after a video emerged of Pentland allegedly pushing and harassing a Black man on the neighborhood sidewalk.
In a tweet posted on Wednesday night, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD) confirmed the family had been moved away from the property and claimed the home had been damaged.
It read: “The protests at the Pentland home have become violent. The family was removed after it was vandalized. They were moved to another location and the neighborhood is being closed off except to residents. Please stay out of the area.”
The protests at the Pentland home have become violent. The family was removed after it was vandalized. They were moved to another location and the neighborhood is being closed off except to residents. Please stay out of the area
— Richland County Sheriff’s Dept. (@RCSD) April 15, 2021
According to Columbia-based WIS-TV, deputies arrived at Pentland’s home at around 8.20 p.m. after they received reports it had been damaged.
The outlet added when officers arrived, they found objects had been thrown through one of the home’s windows.
Pentland was arrested yesterday and charged with third-degree assault and battery.
A three-minute video of the altercation was uploaded to Facebook on Monday by Shirrel Johnson. It has also been shared on Twitter but does not show the moments leading up to the encounter.
The clip shows Pentland repeatedly telling the man, who was named by Johnson as “Deandre,” to “go away.”
Deandre then tells Pentland to call the police while a woman, who was identified by Pentland as his wife, says the police have been called.
Pentland then shoves Deandre and screams: “Walk away! I need you to walk away, or I’m going to carry your a** out of here.”
Deandre, who is calm throughout the video, says: “You better not touch me.”
In response, Pentland says: “Or what? What are you going to do? You’re in the wrong neighborhood motherf*****.”
If Pentland is found guilty of the assault charge he could face a fine of up to $500, as well as 30 days in prison.
Fort Jackson Commander Brig. Gen. Milford Beagle, Jr confirmed Pentland is stationed at the base and said the U.S. Department of Justice was “looking into the incident.”
As an update on the unfortunate incident that brought disrespect to @fortjackson our Army and the trust with the public we serve, please see below. 👇🏾 I will be transparent in the future with shareable information. The subject in this case was arrested. @PaulFunk2 @TradocDCG pic.twitter.com/prihGao1Nv
— Fort Jackson Commanding General (@fortjacksoncg) April 14, 2021
He added in a tweet shared by the Fort Jackson Commanding General Twitter page: “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 and Lexington counties and our Army family.
“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.”
Newsweek has contacted the RCSD and the DOJ for comment.
Matt Gush/iStock
