(Bloomberg) — London Stock Exchange Group Plc terminated an employee after it investigated a “concerning video” of him following a Black teen around what his mother said was his Florida neighborhood.
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The company terminated Stephen Carega after he was identified in a video in which he and his neighbors followed a Black teen while he walked around his neighborhood, according to a person familiar with the matter.
“The individual involved was initially suspended while we investigated the matter,” an LSEG spokesperson said in a statement, which did not name Carega. “The investigation has now concluded, and the individual’s employment has been terminated.”
Carega didn’t respond to emails and a text message seeking comment. Multiple phone calls to numbers registered to him didn’t go through.
A Florida woman posted a string of videos this week that she said were taken by her son while he was on a walk around their neighborhood after Hurricane Milton had left them without power in their home.
In the videos, several men follow her son around and repeatedly ask him what he’s doing in what they call a gated neighborhood and call him names including “loser.” One complained about his wife’s interaction with the teen.
One of the videos has amassed more than 5 million views on TikTok, with many viewers saying the encounter evoked images of the American South during the Jim Crow era. Comments have poured in on LSEG’s social media pages encouraging the company to take action against Carega.
“We expect the conduct of our employees to meet a high standard,” the company said in the statement. “LSEG operates a zero-tolerance policy against any form of racism, discrimination, prejudice or harassment.”
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