Man confronts Texas landlord over alleged $10k office rental scam. Then gets reported to police for assault: ‘Why are you lying?’
The TikToker was in disbelief.
A man confronted a landlord in Dallas, Texas, and accused him of scamming him out of $10,000 after allegedly failing to honor an office rental agreement. The incident was shared by Josh Jones (@joshjonesyt) on TikTok, where he captured the moment the dispute escalated when the landlord seemingly called the police and reported him for alleged assault.
“If you are in Dallas, do not get an office from these guys,” Jones said in a video that has since garnered over 794,400 views. According to Jones, he had invested $10,000 for office space in the building he and the landlord were in. Viewers, however, were not given any more details on what exactly happened between him and the landlord up until the footage was recorded.
In the video, Jones recorded the landlord while he was on the phone, allegedly making a call to 911. The landlord appeared to be wary of Jones, while the self-dubbed “wholesaler” listened to the man’s accusations being made against him.
Landlord claims he was assaulted
“He’s lying to the police right now,” Jones said. The landlord can be heard requesting police officers to “come help me,” and later telling 911 operators that Jones was a “grown man” whom he “can’t handle.” Jones, seemingly in disbelief at the situation, even helped the landlord translate what the operator was asking when he couldn’t understand what was being said.
“I cannot understand you,” the landlord told the operator before Jones interrupted and said, “She said, ‘Were you assaulted?’” The landlord later claimed that Jones had pushed him hard, although the act was not seen in the video.
“Oh, my god. Why are you lying?” Jones asked the landlord. “He said I’m a big man.” The video abruptly ends with the TikToker laughing at the situation he found himself in. Jones did not give any more information on what occurred before the incident, nor what happened as a result of the 911 call.
Viewers seemingly sided with Jones and urged him to file a complaint if the landlord did take his money. “Attorney general takes complaints very serious. Call and report to your states one,” a viewer wrote. Another pointed out how Jones somehow helped the landlord report himself, saying, “Having to translate for him is wild.”
False reports to police are illegal
Some viewers suggested the landlord was “trying to get [Jones] killed” by allegedly falsely accusing him of assault. “File a civil suit for lying to the police, further, endangering your life. Don’t let this slide. You have the evidence. USE it. Get every bit of your 10K back + emotional distress,” a viewer said. The viewers’ concern is understandable, given the Black community’s history of experiencing violence from law enforcement.
While it can’t be established whether or not the landlord was actually lying in Jones’ video, knowingly making a false report to 911 is a punishable offense under the Texas Penal Code, especially if it results in law enforcement responding to the report.
Those found guilty of making a false report can be charged with a Class A misdemeanor, with penalties including a fine of up to $4,000, a maximum of 365 days in jail, or both. Depending on the severity and the person’s history, the charge can escalate into a felony. For now, all viewers have are allegations, and nothing can be confirmed unless either Jones or the landlord shares more information.
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