A U.S. Army sergeant first class is currently under investigation after shocking video showed him berating and pushing a young black man he did not believed lived in their South Carolina neighborhood.
Jonathan Pentland, 42, was quickly identified after the Monday video went viral showing his altercation with the young man at the Lakes at Barony Place – a gated community in Richland County located in the Summit neighborhood.
Photos show that Pentland has been a drill sergeant at Fort Jackson in South Carolina since at least 2019. Fort Jackson Commanding General Brig. Gen. Milford Beagle, Jr, took to Twitter to announce that the video would be investigated.
‘This is by no means condoned by any service member,’ he said on Twitter. ‘We will get to the bottom of this ASAP.’
In a statement to Dailymail.com, a spokesperson for the base said Fort Jackson was working with local authorities on the matter, adding that ‘this type of behavior is not consistent with our Army Values and will not be condoned.’
‘The soldier in the video is stationed at Fort Jackson and Richland County Sheriff’s Department have confirmed that he has been charged,’ the statement reads. ‘The U.S. Department of Justice is also looking into the incident.’
‘The leaders at Fort Jackson in no way condone the behavior depicted in the video posted recently,’ added. Fort Jackson Commander Brig. Gen. Milford Beagle, Jr. ‘This action deeply impacts our community–the neighbors in the Summit, the city of Columbia, Richland & Lexington counties, and our Army family,’ Beagle said. ‘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.’
The three-minute clip shows Pentland repeatedly scream at the young man – identified only as Deandre – to ‘go away now.’ Cassie Pentland, his wife, can also be heard shouting at the black man and telling him police have already been called when he tells them to alert authorities.
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Jonathan Pentland, 42, was quickly identified after the Monday video went viral showing his altercation in the Summit neighborhood of South Carolina
Pentland pictured in uniform. He is a drill sergeant at Fort Jackson in South Carolina
‘This is by no means condoned by any service member,’ Commanding General Milford Beagle Jr. said on Twitter. ‘We will get to the bottom of this ASAP’
‘Maybe you should stick around a little longer and then we won’t have to get the report by ourselves,’ Cassie tells Deandre.
Pentland asks the young man what he is doing in the area, to which Deandre calmly retorts ‘walking.’
‘That’s what I was doing, walking to my house,’ he continues.
But Pentland dismisses the man’s remark, telling Deandre that he has been ‘here for 15 minutes now.’ He and his wife then tell the young man to walk away, with Pentland suggesting that he can ‘help’ Deandre walk away.
The two continue arguing, with Pentland denying that he has hit Deandre. Deandre clarifies that he was actually pushed.
The three-minute clip shows Pentland repeatedly scream at the man – identified only as Deandre – to ‘go away now’
Cassie Pentland, his wife, can also be heard shouting at the black man and telling him police have already been called when he tells them to alert authorities
‘You’re aggressing in the neighborhood,’ Cassie Pentland claims.
‘How am I the aggressor when someone came running up to me,’ Deandre responds, turning his attention to the irate wife, who is not seen in footage.
But as he turns to talk to the screaming woman, her husband charges at Deandre and roughly pushes him back.
‘You better walk away,’ Pentland screams at Deandre. ‘You are talking to my wife right now.’
Deandre, who remains calm throughout the ordeal, tells the sergeant: ‘That’s your wife, I didn’t do nothing to your wife but speak.’
The two continue arguing, with Pentland denying that he has hit Deandre. Deandre clarifies that he was actually pushed.
As the two engage in tense standoffs, Pentland lodges threats at Deandre if he doesn’t move.
‘Check it out, you can either walk away or I am going to carry your a*s out,’ he says to Deandre.
A composed Deandre tells Pentland not to touch him, but the Army sergeant first class scoffs at the notion.
Pentland responds: I’m about to do something to you…You’re in the wrong neighborhood motherf****r get out.’
When Deandre tells the couple he lives in the area, Cassie responds: ‘Maybe we should walk you home?’
Pentland pushes Deandre as the black man turns to speak to his wife who called him an aggressor
Pentland inquiries where the young man lives and claims that Deandre is ‘harassing the neighborhood,’ to which Deandre reiterates that he lives in the neighborhood.
‘Check it out, we are a tight knit community, we take care of each other,’ the Army sergeant first class asserts.
‘How long have you lived here,’ Deandre asks.
Pentland responds: ‘A lot longer than your a*s because I have never seen you before in my life.’
When Deandre repeats his question, the couple grow even more incensed and tell him that it is none of his business.
The clip comes to a close with the camerawoman approaching Deandre and getting him away from the couple as Pentland continues making threats towards him
‘Check it out motherf****r I am not playing with you,’ Pentland tells Deandre, to which the black man responds: ‘You smell drunk… You are drunk.’
The argument continues for several more volleys as several black women can be seen making their way to the commotion. Cassie mentions that the entire ordeal spawned after Deandre got into a verbal spat with a neighbor of theirs, who seemed to exit the scene as the couple got more involved.
The clip comes to a close with the camerawoman approaching Deandre and getting him away from the couple as Pentland continues making threats towards him.
Shirell Johnson, one of the black women who came to see the commotion, took to Facebook to share the video after the woman who initially filmed it – identified as Lady Shadae – shared it with her.
Shirell Johnson, one of the black women who came to see the commotion, took to Facebook to share the video after the woman who initially filmed it – identified as Lady Shadae – shared it with her
In a post online, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department said that Sheriff Leon Lott was meeting with politicians and various organizations to discuss the incident
Johnson shared that the group of women waited with Deandre until police arrived and ‘repeatedly informed the officer’ that he was assaulted by Pentland, with the Army sergeant first class knocking his phone out his hand and cracking it.
She added: ‘The officer told us that his supervisor told him that he could only charge the white guy with malicious injury to property and not assault! Deandre was calm throughout and he had been in that neighborhood-The Lakes @Barony Place walking plenty of times and he lives in the summit! Lots of people walk out there and never any trouble.’
In a post online, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department said that Sheriff Leon Lott was meeting with politicians and various organizations to discuss the incident.
Records indicate that Pentland was promoted to his sergeant first class in March 2020
Prior to his station in South Carolina, Pentland was stationed at Fort Drum in New York as part of the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (LI). He was also stationed in Fort Carson in Colorado Springs, Colorado
‘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 department added in their release.
‘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.’
Records indicate that Pentland was promoted to his sergeant first class in March 2020.
Prior to his station in South Carolina, Pentland was stationed at Fort Drum in New York as part of the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (LI). He was also station in Fort Carson in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Pentland can be seen in the background in this picture at Fort Jackson
