It was a Friday afternoon in October 2016 when a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy named Miguel Garcia Jr. encountered some “Misled Youth.”
He was in Compton wrapping up an investigation with his partner when they both heard loud, live, heavy metal music coming from down the street and decided to check out the scene.
But they didn’t stop by to tell the band to keep it down.
“I was goofing off and I told my partner ‘wow, they sound really good,” Garcia told CBS Los Angeles.
As Garcia walked up to the gate, the teenage members of the band – who call themselves “Misled Youth” – caught sight of him and assumed the worst.
“We were jamming and he showed up and we were like ‘oh, we are in trouble,’” one member said.
But it turns out Garcia was a fan of their sound – in fact, he used to play guitar growing up with South Los Angeles and music had always meant a lot to him. It represented a way to focus his energy and keep himself out of trouble, so he was all too happy to encourage Misled Youth to keep on rocking.
As Garcia talked to the band members, he ended up with band member Rony Córdoba’s guitar in his hands.
“I’m not sure exactly what happened, but at some point they put the guitar in my direction and I said let’s see what you got,” Garcia said.
Córdoba decided to take some video of the deputy’s guest appearance at their practice.
Garcia ended up playing “The Kids Aren’t Alright” by The Offspring (which, granted, not metal) with the band!
Not only did Córdoba and Garcia both share the video on their Facebook pages, but the sheriff’s department did as well!
Their caption began “A Day in the Life,” and read:
“Curious about what the average LA County Deputy Sheriff encounters on the job?
After receiving a call for service in the area, Compton Sheriff’s Station’s Deputy Garcia and his partner heard loud music coming from a residential neighborhood in Compton. Deputy Garcia and his partner introduced themselves to the young members of this backyard band. After identifying no crime had been committed, Deputy Garcia took the time to play a few songs with the kids, displaying a more human side of law enforcement.”
The video from the Sheriff’s Department’s Facebook page alone has over 140,000 views!
Garcia says his gesture was the reason he went into law enforcement to begin with – that his job was really about helping the community.
“I didn’t become a police officer to go out and start arresting everyone, I became a police officer because I have an overwhelming love for people,” he said.
Commenters praised Garcia’s gesture:
“This is an example of what’s missing in the community, a humanistic approach to law enforcement,” said one YouTube viewer.
And many found it refreshing that police and teens could bond over music in a place like Compton.
“I’m so proud of those boys and that police officer. This is such an inspiring story.”
Be sure to scroll down below to see an interview with Garcia and the band members as well as the original video of the officer rocking out with Misled Youth.
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