A video of a white YouTube employee phoning the police after seeing a black man try to enter his apartment building without using the callbox has gone viral, with some viewers calling the interaction racially charged. The YouTube employee contends that he was just worried about trespassers.

The man who called the police, Christopher Cukor, was recorded by Wesly Michel, a black software engineer who was waiting for his friend who eventually showed up near the end of the video.

In the video, Cukor, with his child, is seen asking Michel to dial up whoever he is waiting for and, when he doesn’t, Cukor calls the police to report a “trespasser.” Throughout the video, Cukor’s son is seen crying and asking his father not to phone the police.





After the video was released, Cukor posted an apology on the blog site Medium, and explained his reasoning for calling the authorities.

“I noticed Wesly Michel caught the door and entered the building without using the callbox. I did what came naturally and asked where he was going. I want to be clear on this point, this is something I do regularly, regardless of who the other person is,” Cukor said.

Cukor said there have been robberies at his apartment building and mentioned that his father was killed by a trespasser.

“My father was murdered outside his home by a trespasser who he confronted alone. For my child’s safety, my safety and that of the building, I felt it was necessary to get help in this situation,” Cukor said. “I’m sorry my actions caused Welsy to feel unfairly targeted due to his race.”