A video of an Amazon employee delivering a package in a police standoff has gone viral on TikTok.
The video, posted on 18 March by TikTok user mlktrk679, showed an Amazon delivery worker dropping off a package at a home surrounded by at least 10 law enforcement vehicles.
“Amazon hard at work,” the TikToker said while filming the interaction in Cary, North Carolina.
Wearing Amazon’s signature blue employee vest, the delivery worker casually walked the Amazon box up to the driveway where several law enforcement officers sat.
“In the midst of a standoff, he’s going to deliver his package,” the TikTok user said.
Before the Amazon employee could approach the house further, the police stopped him and took the box, indicating they would pass it along to the owner.
As he made his way down the driveway, the employee took a photo of the interaction, a common practice for deliverers to indicate the package was dropped off safely, then walked off.
“Go Amazon,” the TikToker said.
The video received over 7 million views on TikTok and 1.3 million likes.
Commenters joked about the Amazon driver putting himself in the middle of a dangerous situation for the sake of work.
“Package Delivery Note was ‘handed to SWAT officer,’” one person wrote.
“Dude isn’t paid enough to care about his safety,” another commented.
According to a report from local news station ABC11, the delivery occurred during a nearly 24-hour-long standoff between SWAT team members and an armed man who barricaded himself in his apartment and held an 11-year-old boy hostage.
It is unclear who the intended receiver of the Amazon package was.
The standoff ended after the man died by suicide. According to police, he was experiencing a mental health crisis.
The 11-year-old boy was treated for gunshot wounds but was expected to make a recovery.
Terry Sult, Cary’s Chief of Police, offered condolences to the family of the man, adding,“it’s always a sad time when someone is in crisis, and it should bring attention to mental health across the country.”
A spokesperson for Amazon told The Independent, “We always prioritize the safety of the drivers delivering our packages and we regularly communicate with them that if they don’t feel safe, they shouldn’t deliver the package and instead reach out for immediate support. “
“We’ve spoken with the driver involved to remind him his safety comes first and about the support available in situations like this.”
