14
51
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) -
The mother of the man involved in a violent confrontation on Charlottesville's Downtown Mall Friday is speaking out and asking for help.
Darlene Byrd, the mother of the man caught on video holding another person at knife point, says her son suffers from mental health issues. She said her son, James Benjamin Jarrett, suffers from schizophrenia and addiction issues. Byrd says that the system failed her son.
Jarrett could be seen holding a man at knife point in eyewitness footage taken Friday, December 28. The video was posted to Twitter shortly after the altercation and has been shared over 11,800 times.
Byrd said her son had been in and out of hospitals, but an overdose in September forced him to seek mental health assistance. She states that help never came, despite her attempts to let those working with Jarrett know about his condition.