Nationwide — A Black family’s off-roading trip in rural Georgia took a frightening turn when a white man approached them with a gun instead of offering help after their ATV got stuck in a ditch. The encounter was caught on video and widely shared online.
Heather Gaddy said her husband and three children were riding ATVs in Toombs County when one vehicle slid into a muddy ditch. As her husband tried to pull it out, a white man drove up, got out of his truck, and walked toward them holding a handgun pointed at the ground, according to Atlanta Black Star.
The father stayed calm while one of the children recorded the scene. In the video, he told the man, “You pulled your gun out, and I got kids out here.” The man claimed he didn’t see the children and said he only wanted to help, but the father didn’t believe him.
Gaddy later posted the clip on TikTok, writing, “Thank goodness my children’s father kept his cool. If you don’t see this as a problem, you’re part of the problem!!!” The video quickly went viral, drawing outrage from viewers who called the man’s actions intimidating and unnecessary.
When the father told him he shouldn’t have brought the gun, the man tucked it into his waistband and stepped closer. Many online commenters questioned why his first reaction to a family in distress was to pull out a weapon instead of offering assistance.
Toombs County, a quiet agricultural area with miles of back roads, is part of Georgia’s open-carry region. State law allows residents to carry firearms without a permit, but many people said the man’s behavior showed poor judgment and unnecessary aggression, even if it wasn’t illegal.