Black man acting as Good Samaritan arrested outside his own home

A black man in Montgomery County, Maryland, was arrested outside his own house for trying to help a drunk man who needed assistance.

A YouTube video shows 23-year-old Samir Ahmed being restrained by police after he tried to help an unconscious man who he had found on the ground outside his property.

Police had reportedly responded to a call about the intoxicated man, but upon arrival appear to have concentrated their efforts on arresting Ahmed rather than helping the other man.

In the 19-minute clip, officers tell the neighbours who are filming the incident that Ahmed is also drunk. Neighbours protest his innocence and ask why they aren't helping the unconscious man.

The officers refuse to respond to their questions and are accused of "being scared of black people". As the bystanders grow increasingly frustrated, an officer does eventually respond to their enquiries as Ahmed is led away.

They are informed that he is being held under the suspicion of drug use:

The little that I know right now, and I’m going to figure out the rest at the station, is that they came up here for the fire rescue call and this guy happened to be in the area and the officer smelled an odour of marijuana coming from him.

She addressed him with respect to that and then he didn’t want to allow her to search him.

Ahmed, who is of Ethiopian descent, has claimed that he was the victim of 'racial profiling' and added that they became suspicious of him when he couldn't disclose the drunken man's address.

He told Huffington Post:

I explained that I brought the drunk man home, and she [the female officer] began to become infuriated when I wouldn’t tell her his exact address.

He does not deny having marijuana on his person but considered it "was such a small amount that I didn’t even know I had it" adding "because I know if I was blonde with blue eyes, it wouldn’t have mattered".

The video has only received a little more than 1,000 views on YouTube, but gained more traction after actor D.L. Hughley shared it on his Instagram profile, where it has already been viewed more than 200,000 times in two days.

Montgomery County Police have been contacted for comment and this article will be updated upon receiving a reply.

HT Newsweek

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