A black man and his family were held at gunpoint by their new neighbors while they were trying to change the locks in Newton, GA reported WSBTV.

The Kalonji Family had just closed the purchase on a foreclosed home and were excited to begin the moving process. The realtor advised the family to begin by changing the locks on their new home.

Jean Kalonji was in the process of changing the locks on the front door when their new neighbors mistook the Kalonji’s for thieves breaking into the house and confronted them with guns.

“He say to put the hands up and get out from the house otherwise he would shoot us,” recounted Jean about the incident.

Angelica Kalonji, Jean’s wife stated:

“I get up my hands up, they put me by the wall.”

The neighbors held the Kalonji’s at gunpoint and called the local authorities not believing they were the owners of the house. When authorities arrived they arrested the family who did not have the closing paper work with them at the time, charging them with loitering and prowling.

The realtor, Yvette Harris, said the deputies had no right to arrest the couple, stating:

“They rightfully own this house.”

According to Newton County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Mark Mitchell authorities are investigating why everything that happened.

“We’re kind of on the ground floor to this as far as looking into it exactly what occurred, why it occurred.”

The experience brought back painful memories to Jean who was raised in the Congo.

“There, they put me down with the gun to my head. Here, the same.”

Check out the original news broadcast by following this link.