‘Is That a Knife?’: Homeowner says Ring camera caught young people with machete

BALTIMORE (WBFF) — A Canton homeowner says her Ring camera captured two young people on electric scooters with a machete in an alley behind her home Monday, briefly leaving the weapon behind before returning to retrieve it.

The homeowner, who requested anonymity, said she received a Ring camera alert around noon and opened the video after noticing activity in the alley. She saw the two climbing a chain-link fence before one pulled an object from his pants.

“I saw them pull something out of their pants and I was like, ‘oh, are they stealing my solar lights?’” she said. “And then I saw like a flash. I was like, oh my God, is that a knife?”

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She said she activated her Ring camera’s siren, causing the two to run away. They returned within minutes, she said.

Within a couple of minutes they were back and they got it and I saw the machete really clearly,” she said.

The homeowner said one of the individuals put the machete back in his pants before leaving on a scooter. She estimated they appeared to be between 12- and 14-years-old.

“Like 14 max. Like 12 to 14. They look young,” she said.

The homeowner said she contacted authorities.

Baltimore Police said officers responded to a 911 call around 12:27 p.m. on Nov. 9, reporting two males riding Lime scooters, one reportedly carrying a machete. The individuals were gone when officers arrived, and no weapon was recovered. Police said they had no further information.

The homeowner said she believes police contacted some area schools. She hopes the schools can help identify the individuals and that they face consequences at school and at home.

She also contacted Lime to ask whether information connected to the scooter accounts could help identify the individuals. She shared the video with local community groups in case other residents recognized them.

The homeowner said she has occasionally dealt with package theft in the neighborhood, but has never witnessed a weapon being brandished, particularly by people she believes are so young.

Blake Amat, a Canton resident of about five to six years, said he was concerned after seeing the footage.

“It’s definitely pretty concerning, you know, just they look like young kids to be running around with, you know, a weapon like that,” Amat said.

He also questioned the role of the children’s parents.

Why? What are they doing? Where are their parents?” he asked.

The homeowner said the incident has changed how comfortable she feels using the alley behind her home, where she regularly parks and lets her dog outside.

“I just like hope they don’t come back,” she said. “We let the dog out back there all the time. We park there all the time.”

She said she hopes someone who recognizes the individuals will come forward.