White woman who barred black man from loft offers defence

ST. LOUIS – A white woman who was fired after she was shown on video blocking a black man from entering the St. Louis loft building where he lives says the man didn’t have an electronic key fob and forced his way inside.

KTVI-TV reports that Hilary Thornton says 24-year-old D’Arreion Toles was trying to get in the building Friday night while she had the door cracked to let her dog use the bathroom. She says she was following the condo board’s instructions to not allow strangers inside when she repeatedly asked whether he lived there.

The video Toles posted online shows Thornton follow him into the elevator and to the door of his unit. Police responded but didn’t cite anyone.

Thornton’s former employer, property management company Tribeca-STL, says it found the interaction “disturbing.”