A Florida couple whose confrontation with a door-to-door canvasser was captured in a viral TikTok video has been charged with assault, authorities said, after the exchange drew widespread outrage and renewed debate over racial bias in everyday interactions.
Prosecutors in Orange County announced that Steven Edwin Wiley, 51, and Cheryl Ann Pyle, 55, face charges of assault evidencing prejudice—a misdemeanor enhanced under Florida’s hate-crime statute—stemming from a July 29 encounter outside their home in the Hunter’s Creek community, south of Orlando.
According to court documents, the altercation began when Antavis Johnson, a canvasser for a solar energy company, approached the couple’s house to discuss renewable energy options. Within moments, the conversation turned hostile. In a video recorded by Mr. Johnson and later posted online, the homeowners can be heard shouting racial slurs and threats.
“Get your Black….. out of here,” Mr. Wiley can be heard saying at one point. “You come back again, I’m gonna hang your …..”
The video, which circulated widely across social media platforms before being removed, was viewed millions of times and drew condemnation from community members and civil rights groups. Mr. Johnson said he began recording after feeling unsafe.
“I just wanted proof of what was happening,” he told local reporters. “People don’t always believe this kind of thing still happens until they see it.”
Following an investigation, the State Attorney’s Office for the Ninth Judicial Circuit filed charges this week. Both defendants were already being held on unrelated offenses when the new warrants were served, officials said.
In the weeks after the video spread, the couple’s home became a focus of online scrutiny. Deputies later responded to a report of a suspicious package at the property, which was ultimately deemed nonthreatening.
Community leaders praised prosecutors for pursuing the case, calling it an important step toward accountability. “What’s captured in that video is more than just an argument—it’s a reflection of how bias and hostility can surface in ordinary encounters,” said Carla Jenkins, a spokesperson for the Orange County NAACP.
Mr. Wiley and Ms. Pyle are expected to appear in court later this year. Mr. Johnson said he has continued his canvassing work but remains shaken by the encounter.
“This wasn’t just about me,” he said. “It’s about the way people are treated when they show up to do their jobs.”
Video Credit: ClickOrlando l Orlando WKMG News 6