Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

‘John Wayne’ Louisiana official tells group of black men: 'You will be tracked. You will be hunted’

Captain Clay Higgins posted an aggressive and threatening video to warn supposed gang members 

 

Rachael Revesz
New York
Friday 19 February 2016 14:35 EST
Comments
Clay Higgins said: 'This is not about race, this is about right versus wrong'
Clay Higgins said: 'This is not about race, this is about right versus wrong' (Facebook /KATC)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A Louisiana government official has posted a threatening and aggressive video to warn a group of black men and supposed gang members that if they raise a gun “to a guy like [him]” then he will shoot back with “superior fire”.

Flanked by a long line of men with guns, vehicles and dogs, Captain Clay Higgins of St Landry Parish - who has gathered a cult following and is known as the “Cajun John Wayne“ of the region - filmed a warning message to the group of mostly black men and one black woman, who he claimed were responsible for ”murder, robberies, witness intimidations, drug trafficking and brutal beatings".

“Every one of these animals is most definitely armed and dangerous,” he said.

He said he had arrested 10 of the gang members and has a warrant out for seven more. Naming them all individually, he said: “You will be hunted. You will be tracked. And if you raise your weapon to a man like me, we will return fire with superior fire.

“Darren Carter, you think men like these are afraid of an uneducated, 125-pound punk like you that’s never won a fair fight in your life and holds your gun sideways?

“Young man, I’ll meet you on solid ground, anytime anywhere light or heavy. It makes no difference to me.

"I'm Captain Clay Higgins asking every patriot to stand up and share this message..."

Posted by Captain Clay Higgins on Wednesday, 17 February 2016

The video has since racked up more than one million views.

“Look at you, men like us — we do dumbbell presses with weights bigger than you,” he said. “And the convicts in jail, most of those men are good people who just found themselves crossed with the law. They’re not evil and they don’t respect you or any punk like you. They’ll toss you around like a rag doll.”

He then told viewers to look behind him to the line of black and white men. He claimed that standing next to every cop was a leader of the region’s black community.

“This is not about race, this is about right versus wrong,” he said.

He called upon all “patriots” to share the video.

In July Mr Higgins posted another warning to a man who had robbed a burger joint.

“We’re going to identify you, arrest you, and put you in a small cell. After that I’m going to have a cheeseburger here with fries and a coke, and leave a nice tip for the waitress."

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in