Black family flees from angry foul-mouthed mob in Walmart parking lot after woman mistakenly claimed they were stealing her car
- Father-of-two Lee Allen was approached by a woman claiming he stole her car
- The footage was taken outside a Walmart in Spokane, Washington, February 28
- A motorcyclist featured in the footage claims incident was a misunderstanding
This is the shocking moment a black family were forced to flee after being accused of stealing their own car, as bystanders attacked the vehicle with bikes.
Footage taken outside a Walmart in Spokane, Washington, shows how the incident unfolded as the woman approached the car and accused father-of-two Lee Allen of stealing the family vehicle he was driving.
His daughter, who was in the back seat, recorded the footage while sobbing as bystanders gathered and became violent after immediately taking the side of the woman.
The woman, who was riding a push bike and wearing a crucifix, claimed the car was her property as she stood in front of the vehicle blocking its way.
She shouted at Mr Allen: ‘This is my car. How did you get this car?
‘I don’t want violence, I just want to know how did you get this car?’
Mr Allen then attempted to drive past those blocking him, at which point a man stood in front of the car with his hand menacingly in the front his jacket – Mr Allen then asked his son to call 911.
The video has gone viral after Mr Allen shared it to social media in early March. It was filmed on February 28 before the Black Lives Matter protests that followed George Floyd’s death begun.
Footage taken outside a Walmart in Spokane, Washington, shows the moment a woman approached the car and accused father-of-two Lee Allen of stealing the car he was driving
Another man named Lawton Miller attempted to ‘diffuse the situation’ by opening the car door.
The woman claimed the car was her property as she stood in front of the vehicle blocking its way
Mr Miller stated: ‘Just to explain something. This is her car.’
At which point Mr Allen slammed the door shut to protect his family. Mr Miller’s fingers were caught in the door, which appeared to enrage him further.
The father attempted to maneuver his car away from the crowd as Mr Miller started to shout profanities and Mr Allen’s daughter began to wail in fear.
A man jumped onto the hood of the car making it impossible to drive away safely while the crowd continued to bang at the car, one bystander even attacked the vehicle with a bike.
Mr Allen continued to drive with the man on the hood of his car as a motorbike chased behind him.
Mr Allen told KHQ Q6: ‘I knew I was going to keep my kids protected no matter what.
‘If all else fails, I could just step on that gas pedal and shoot out like a rocket somewhere, but at the same time I didn’t want to hurt anybody.’
Mr Allen attempted to drive past at which point a man stood in front of the car with his hand in the front his jacket – Mr Allen then asked his son to call 911
Lawton Miller, pictured approaching Mr Allen’s car, said the whole scenario was an unfortunate misunderstanding and he has been threatened since the video went viral
Mr Miller, who was riding the motorbike behind Mr Allen’s car, claims he was only trying to get the man to stop so the man on his hood could get off.
He told the broadcaster: ‘This kid jumps on the car. What do I do now? I’ve got to get this kid off the car. I don’t know if this guy knows it who’s driving this car, [but] if this kid falls off and he runs over and kills that kid, he’s going to prison for murder. He’s no good to his family anymore.’
After he blared his horn and flashed his lights the occupants of the car believed that Mr Miller wished to do them harm.
After he blared his horn and flashed his lights the occupants of the car believed that Mr Miller (right) wished to do them harm, rather than alert them of the man on their hood (left)
Mr Miller told KHQ Q6: ‘I don’t harm kids. I raised a daughter. I am a family man. I’m not no big bad biker. I’m grandpa with a bike, and I’ve got pictures with me and my grandsons on the bike.’
Mr Miller says the whole scenario was an unfortunate misunderstanding and he has been threatened since the video went viral, meaning he has had to stay away from his family for their safety.
Spokane County Sheriff’s Office want to speak to the man who threw his bike at the car in the video, asking anyone with information to call 509-456-2233.
However they told KHQ Q6 that they do not believe Mr Miller will be charged in relation to the incident.