Suspicious package incident at Orange County home allegedly linked to viral TikTok
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ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. (WESH) — Authorities have not confirmed whether a viral TikTok showing two Orange County residents hurling racial slurs toward a door-to-door salesman is connected to a suspicious package incident that shut down the neighborhood block where the racial incident occurred for the entire afternoon Thursday.
But a report obtained by WESH 2 shows the residents who made the racial slurs toward the man had filed a report the day after the initial incident happened, saying they had been hit with a deluge of threats after the man’s video went viral on TikTok.
WESH 2 spoke with the creator of the viral video, Antavis Johnson, who said last Tuesday he was going door-to-door for work.
He said, this particular home, the residents got aggressive with him and chased him off the property and down the block while hurling racial slurs.
“Go on and take your Black [expletive] out of here [expletive],” the man can be heard shouting at Johnson and seen making an obscene gesture toward him.
“Come back here again and I’m going to [expletive] hang your [expletive].”
“You dumb [expletive] [racial slur], get your Black [expletive] out of here.”
Johnson said he was scared, but maintained his composure and kept recording as he walked down the block.
“I was thinking about my daughter. I didn’t want to put my hands on nobody, I just wanted them to get out their steam out,” he said. “I stayed as calm as possible so it wouldn’t flip or I wouldn’t get in trouble. I was also working so I’m representing another job.”
The next day, the residents who made the racial slurs filed a complaint with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, saying they began receiving threats shortly after Johnson’s video went viral.
“Anybody could have got hurt and I don’t want it to fall back on me because I just posted a video. I didn’t expect stuff like this to occur,” Johnson said.
Then, on Thursday, a massive response to the neighborhood where the two live.
WESH 2 is not naming the man and woman seen in the video, as they have not been charged with a crime.
Orange County Fire Rescue, sheriff’s deputies, ambulances, and special operations units descended on the street, while responders could initially be seen donning large hazmat suits.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office said it was investigating reports of a suspicious package, which responders later determined to be safe.
OCSO has not publicly confirmed that the viral TikTok video and Thursday’s incident are linked.
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