A mother and son are facing eviction from their Nashville apartment complex after they were accused of racially profiling and assaulting a black parking permit auditor who was just doing his job in a video that has gone viral on social media.
Johnny Martinez said he was checking for car permits in River House apartments in Nashville on Saturday, Nov. 27, a little after 8 p.m. when he was confronted by the "Karen" and her son in the parking garage of the apartment building.
'How Did You Get in Here?'
"While performing a routine parking permit audit on the premises for my employer the duo confronted me at a nearby elevator and the first words that came out of the Karen's mouth were "you don't belong here, how did you get in here," Martinez wrote.
Martinez said that after he told them he was just doing his job, they demanded to see his identification, prompting him to pull out his camera and start recording. He noted that he not only had his ID around his neck, but was also wearing knee pads and a headlamp.
In the 5-minute long video shared on YouTube and Reddit, the mother and son repeatedly questioning Martinez's presence in the parking garage while demanding to see his identification and threatening to call the cops on him, as previously reported.
After Martinez refuses and asks them to mind their own business as he continues to film the pair, the son attempts to snatch the phone out of Martinez's hand before a struggle ensues between them off-camera. The mother then dials 911 and reports Martinez, stating that he was refusing to co-operate.
Watch the full video below:
After the encounter, Martinez said he waited at the property for about 40 minutes for Metro PD. He said the "Karen" conveniently left out the part where her son assaulted him from the police. However, Martinez said he showed police the video and did file a report.
However, to press formal charges he was told by police that he would have to visit the District Attorney's office and intends to go there on Wednesday.
Who are Edward and Bitsy Brennan?
Not long after the video went viral, popular TikToker @thatdaneshguy identified the mother-son duo as Bitsy and Edward Brennan. According to Bitsy's Facebook page, she works at UBS Financial Services as a Wealth Management Associate.
Martinez later commented on his Reddit post stating that the incident was reported property management and they were moving to evict the mother and son from the building.
