Denzel Washington called a 'good Samaritan' as he assists homeless man before police arrest
A video of actor Denzel Washington helping a black homeless man in Los Angeles as police officers arrested him last week has gone viral on social media following the death of George Floyd in Minnesota on Monday.
NBA player Rex Chapman retweeted the video, which has millions of views and shows Washington in a face mask talking to two police officers and the homeless man last week. The footage suddenly changes scenes and shows the man getting handcuffed as Washington speaks with the officers and tries to put a juice bottle and a pack of face masks into the man’s pockets.
Denzel Washington saw a commotion in West Hollywood with cops and an unarmed distressed homeless man. He got out of his car and served as a barrier between the man and the police — helping to diffuse a tense situation. This man was arrested safely. pic.twitter.com/4UyYdX1vT6
— Rex Chapman (@RexChapman) May 28, 2020 Get Our Latest News for FREE
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Another video posted on Twitter by user @MoPhoPix, provided more clarity on what took place as a police officer provided further details on the situation.
Washington was reportedly driving down Hollywood Boulevard when he saw the man on the road. Concerned for the man's safety, the Academy Award-winning actor pulled over and helped him back onto the sidewalk and then the police showed up.
"We intervened, spoke with the individual and determined that he did not want to harm himself or others, and he was on his way, and Denzel left," the officer explained in the Twitter video. "Denzel provided him a mask to protect himself from the environment and that was good. So Denzel helped us today."
Washington even added extra masks in the man's pockets and the officer called Washington a "very good Samaritan."
A representative for Washington confirmed the incident to USA TODAY.
Want 2 know what really happened with #DenzelWashington and the #LAPD last week while he was being a #goodsamaritan ? Get the real story : this is how an encounter with the cops is supposed to end #turnyourclicksintocashpic.twitter.com/Vcy2ybq9tk
— MoPhoPix (@MoPhoPix) May 28, 2020
As of Friday, the video of Washington’s encounter had been viewed over 4 million times as the actor’s name trended on Twitter.
Many people are praising Washington for caring for the man enough to help him. Others are pointing to the fact that Washington’s presence might have helped the man avoid having the same fate as Floyd, who died after Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on Floyd's neck while Floyd pled for his life, saying he could not breathe.
