COLUMBIA, S.C. — Three women who came to the aid of a young Black man after witnessing an altercation with a Fort Jackson soldier in a Columbia neighborhood are speaking out about the experience.
A viral video shows a man in a hostile exchange with a young Black man in Columbia's Summit neighborhood.
In the video, the altercation comes to an end when the women walking through the neighborhood decided to step in and help the victim.
The women, who just happened to be walking through the neighborhood, spoke to News 19 about the experience.
According to Shirell Johnson, when she and Vinnetta Osborne walked up the two men, the situation seemed to be calm.
"We were kinda puzzled, like you know, what's going on here?" Johnson said.
"But I told you, something was going on, because every time he went to walk away, the aggressor would follow behind him," Osborne said.
Just as they decided they should not get involved and began to walk away, the altercation became something they couldn't ignore.
"As soon as we turned the corner, we heard ... it just exploded." Johnson said she looked at Osborne and told her they had to go back.
"We've got to do something 'cause he's in trouble," Johnson said.
As they returned to aid the young man, they knew their main goal was to get him to safety.
The video led to an ongoing investigation and to an arrest and charges filed against a Fort Jackson sergeant, Jonathan Pentland, who also been temporarily suspended from his duties at the Fort.
The Fort Jackson sergeant, Pentland, faces a misdemeanor charge of third degree assault and battery third degree following the incident captured on video. That charge carries a maximum sentence of 30 days in jail and a $500 fine.