Black locksmith confronted by police while working in a white neighborhood in viral TikTok

A Black man who works as a locksmith recorded the moment he was confronted by police while working in a white neighborhood.

The locksmith caught the incident on camera as three officers turned up to ask him what he and his colleague were doing, following a complaint from an unknown person.

In the videos, which he shared on TikTok and have now gone viral, the locksmith says that he and the co-worker were at the property to change the lock as ordered. But, despite the explanation, the police appear unconvinced.

One officer then tells the TikToker to stop filming their conversation, while holding an assault rifle.

“We’re here for a complaint, that’s all,” says the officer holding the assault rifle.

Another officer also appears to readily hold his firearm in both of his hands.

In the video, the house the locksmiths are working on appears to be empty and a realtor sign can be seen in the front yard. A tool box and tools belonging to the locksmith can also be seen on the doorstep of the house.

The uncomfortable exchange continues into another video, where one of the locksmiths addresses the reason the police were called.

“They’re not used to Black people,” one of them remarked.

It’s not clear in the video whether the police contacted the realtor, or who originally called the police in the first place.

The videos have since gone viral with a combined total of over 1m views between the two TikToks.

Thousands of people have commented on the videos, sharing their disgust at how the police treated the workers.

One person said: “You [police] got this big gun drawn but you’re worried about his [locksmith] phone, really make it make sense.”

“The fact that they [police] already have their guns drawn shows how unqualified they are to be cops,” another person wrote.

Someone else commented: “No matter what comment we as black people make, white people will always find a way to make it justifiable.”

“So sad and so tired of this,” a fourth person replied.

You can watch the full videos here and here.