‘Take Your Black Ass Out of Here’: White Florida Couple Who Threatened, Hurled Racist Insults at Utility Worker After He Knocked on Their Door Hit with Charges
A Florida couple who were seen in a viral video over the summer hurling racial slurs and threats at a Black man have been charged with assault. Per WESH, Orange County court documents state that 51-year-old Steven Edwin Wiley and 55-year-old Cheryl Ann Pyle were charged on Oct. 24 for their verbal assault aimed at Antavis Tyrone Johnson. Johnson said the day he met Wiley and Pyle, he was going door to door in the couple's neighborhood to offer residents solar utility upgrades. Video screenshots show a Florida couple harassing a Black man. (Photos: TikTok/3busted_mindjizzz) When he knocked on the couple's door, he said they answered and looked outraged at his visit. “The wife opened it, and I could tell immediately she was upset. I politely said, ‘I’m so sorry if this isn’t a good time,’” Johnson recalled. ‘Had Security Called on Me 13 Times’: White Fans Tried to Get Black Woman Removed from Floor Seats at Jonas Brothers Concert, Then It Backfired He said he started recording the encounter after the couple waylayed him with derogatory slurs and threats while chasing him off the property and following him down the block. "Get your Black a– out of here, motherf——r. Take your Black ass out of here before you get f—ked up," the homeowners are heard saying in the video. "Get the f—k out of here ... Come back again and I'm gonna f—king hang your a–." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Atlanta Black Star (@atlblackstar) The incident happened in July. Johnson's video went viral on TikTok and drew millions of views before it was taken down. The couple called the sheriff's office the day after the confrontation when they started getting threatening phone calls. But their report only landed them at the center of a criminal investigation. Both Wiley and Pyle were charged with assault (evidencing prejudice) for "intentionally and unlawfully threatening by word or act to do violence." Prosecutors say the couple "did intentionally select" Johnson "as a victim based on the race, color, ancestry, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, mental or physical disability, or advanced age." “I was terrified for my life. I have a 4-year-old daughter to take care of, and since this happened, I haven’t been able to bring myself to go back to work,” Johnson said. “That fear lives in me now. I never imagined I would be threatened and attacked with hate just for doing my job.” Wiley and Pyle are already behind bars in the Orange County Jail. They were jailed in early October on charges connected to an unrelated case. The couple was arrested for allegedly beating and abusing Pyle's stepmother at their home, which was also the site of their viral racist tirade. The victim told investigators that Pyle and Wiley had once locked her in her room for two days by tying a rope to the door handle and attaching it to a garage door. She also said they took away her phone and tablet so she couldn't contact anyone. Deputies found bruises and cuts on Pyle's stepmother that were consistent with physical abuse. In that case, Pyle was charged with false imprisonment, felony battery and battery domestic violence. Wiley is also facing similar felony charges, including false imprisonment, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, felony battery and battery domestic violence.
