New Hanover sheriff responds to viral social media video

The New Hanover County Sheriff's Office released a cryptic statement on Facebook Friday regarding an incident that occurred on Dec. 11, 2023, and was shared via video on social media.

The full statement says: "The Sheriff's Office is aware of the current video on social media of the incident that occurred on December 11, 2023. Sheriff McMahon stated, 'I have seen the video on social media and have addressed my concerns with each Deputy involved. I have ordered additional training to be implemented and want to thank the community for bringing this to my attention' we owe our community the highest level of service.'"

The specific incident referenced by the sheriff's office is not immediately known. Lt. Jerry Brewer with the sheriff's office did not immediately return a message left for him seeking clarification on the statement.

The statement references an incident that occurred on Dec 11. The StarNews located a video shared on YouTube on Dec. 13 that shows multiple deputies detaining a Wilmington cyclist for what they describe as "suspicious" behavior. As of Friday, the video had more than 200,000 views.

The man recording the video can be heard explaining to police that he stopped at a nearby gas station to look for an air pump while riding his bike home from the grocery store.

Deputies requested personal information from the cyclist several times, including his first and last name and date of birth. The cyclist initially refused, but later gave his name.

One deputy said police initiated the stop because they were in the area inspecting local businesses and saw the man hanging out around the car wash, referring to his behavior as "suspicious activity."

The man, who appears to be recording the incident on his cellphone, asks the police if he can leave. A deputy can be heard responding, "no, you're detained right now."

When the cyclist asked what he is being detained for, a deputy responds, "that's what we're trying to figure out."

Video footage of the interaction continues for over 14 minutes.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: New Hanover Sheriff's Office releases statement about social media video