A Fort Stewart soldier has been detained after a video went viral this week showing him in a tense verbal dispute in a mall parking lot.
In an apparent dispute over a parking spot, the soldier is seen in the video yelling and swearing at bystanders while packing belongings and a child stroller into his car, ripping off his uniform and stuffing it into the trunk.
The video was posted to Facebook on Monday and quickly surpassed more than 1.2 million views. Watch it below:
At least two children are seen in the back seat of the car during the ordeal.
A woman who was with the soldier makes multiple attempts to stop his outburst, but the soldier can be seen facing her and yelling at her.
At one point, the woman grabs his wrist, seemingly to prevent him from walking toward the bystanders, and he responds by grabbing her arm and twisting it behind her back
“And you’ve got the nerve to serve our country,” one of the bystanders says.
“F*ck your country. F*ck America,” the soldier says in response, while slamming the car door.
The incident took place at the Oglethorpe Mall in Savannah, Ga., located approximately 40 miles from Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield.
It’s unclear what sparked the incident, but during the video, the soldier remarked about people waiting behind his car.
A vehicle with flashing emergency lights – possibly mall police – is also seen in the video but did not intervene in the incident.
A statement from the 3rd Infantry Division confirmed that the soldier has been identified and detained.
“3rd Infantry Division leadership is aware of an incident involving one of our Soldiers captured on video yesterday. The Soldier has been positively identified and has been detained. We are working with the appropriate civilian and military authorities to address this situation. This Soldier’s behavior and actions are not condoned by the 3rd Infantry Division and are not in keeping with the values instilled in our Dogface Soldiers or our Army,” a spokesman told local news station WSAV.
It’s not clear what sort of punishment this soldier could face.
Reactions to the incident on social media were mixed.
Some criticized the soldier, calling him a “disgrace to the uniform” and added that there are “no excuses” for the behavior. Others condemned the behavior, but said that the soldier’s outburst shows that he needs help and guidance.
Service members and veterans tracked down the soldier on Facebook, but his profile was later removed.
