A TikTok user named Langston Proper called police to report a rental van packed with people on an Atlanta highway.
Mr. Proper believed he was witnessing human trafficking. He followed the rental truck from Atlanta to Gwinnett County, while describing the scene to police on his phone.
Eventually, Gwinnett County police caught up with the truck and pulled it over near Lake Lanier. Police arrested the driver for transporting people in the back of his truck without safety belts.
“I never would’ve thought I actually would have seen this right in front of my eyes and not just in movies or hear about it word of mouth,” Proper wrote on social media.
However, after interviewing the truck’s occupants, the police determined the people were moving from Alabama to Maryland to find work.
The Gwinnett County Police Department issued a statement after the video went viral.
“The Gwinnett Police Department has received several inquiries from the media about a social media video that shows people riding in the back of a moving truck. The back of the van had two families (eight people total including two juveniles). They were not tied up or in distress. They appeared healthy and agreed to speak with the officers,” the statement read.
“The occupants all told officers that they were traveling from Alabama to Maryland for a new job opportunity. The truck also included their personal belongings.
“The driver of the truck was cited for allowing the occupants to ride in the back of the truck without a seatbelt. The occupants were taken to a local business by officers and dropped off so that they could find an alternate way to get to Maryland. There is no evidence at this time of human trafficking.”
?#BREAKING: Major update regarding the viral video of people being found in the back of a budget rental moving truck of what thought to be a Human Trafficking Operation
The Gwinnett Police Department has released a statement saying they have received… pic.twitter.com/hZMGvcDpfz
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) June 27, 2024
