A black delivery truck driver, who was leaving a gated Oklahoma neighborhood after making a delivery, was held against his will by two white residents who demanded to know how he gained entry and what he was doing there.
The confrontation, which occurred in the Ashford Hills neighborhood, was shared by the driver, Travis Miller on Facebook Live on Monday, KFOR-TV reports. In the 37-minute video, which has since gone viral, Miller, who is in the company of a colleague and was looking for a place to turn after making the delivery, is seen explaining to viewers his truck has been blocked by the car of a resident claiming to be the Homeowners Association (HOA) president.
“I want to know where you’re going?” the resident, who identified himself as David Stewart, asks, to which Miller replies: “It’s none of your business. I’m going out, that’s where I’m going.”
On a number of occasions, Miller can be heard asking Stewart to move his car so he can leave, but he declines.
“I’m not moving,” he says. “All you have to do is tell me where you’re going.”
Miller, who revealed he gained access into the gated community after the customer gave him the gate code, told KFOR-TV he refused to share the customer’s personal information with Stewart. Thirty minutes into the confrontation, another white resident joined Stewart in demanding to know how Miller got in.
“All we want to know is why you’re in here and who gave you the gate code. That’s all we need to know,” the other man asked.
Still refusing to comply, Stewart told Miller he was going to report him to the police. Officers, however, did not respond to the scene after the call, and an hour into the standstill, Stewart finally moved his car after apparently talking to the customer.
“They must have contacted the customer because the customer came around and he moved out the way,” said Miller.
In the aftermath of the incident, a tearful Miller also called the police to clarify he had been cleared of any wrongdoing.
“He said that he called the cops back and let them know that everything was clear but I didn’t want to leave and have it seem like I was fleeing the scene or anything like that,” Miller said on the phone.
Speaking to KFOR-TV on Wednesday, Miller said he believed the incident was racially motivated.
“I don’t know what prompted him to, or what has happened in that neighborhood, for him to respond the way he did,” he said.
He also revealed he got emotional because he was dealing with the loss of two family members.
“I just know that emotionally, it was hard to maintain restraint, especially when I’m dealing with death in the family, two family members within two days of each other,” he said. “I just did the best I could to not make a bad situation worse.”
In a separate interview with NBC News, Miller said he had his seatbelt on and did not exit the truck throughout the confrontation to ensure he and his colleague were safe.
“I don’t know what gave them that sense of entitlement and why they felt it was OK to block me in,” he said.
His also said his name was written on his uniform as well as that of his employers emblazoned on the passenger door and the back of the vehicle.
“My intention was never to go viral. My intention was to cover myself in case he called my employer and said I did something other than what I did,” he said, adding that he did not want the confrontation to get heated out of fear of being deemed as the aggressor by the police in case they responded.
Stewart could not be reached for comment. Miller, however, told NBC News the customer apologized after facilitating his exit.
“He said he was sorry it happened,” he said. “He said those guys are overprotective of the neighborhood.”
