Police say what they initially believed was an abduction was actually part of a rap video that was being filmed in South Philadelphia.
Witnesses told police they spotted two men throw another man into the trunk of a car on Broad Street and Snyder Avenue around 7 p.m. Wednesday. The vehicle, described as a gold Chevy, possibly an Impala, then left the scene.
As police investigated the incident they soon learned the "abduction" was actually part of a hip-hop video being filmed at the location. Officials say the three men who witnesses saw showed up to the Special Victims Unit and explained the entire incident was staged for their music video.
"Temo," one of the creators of the video, spoke to NBC10 Thursday to explain what happened.
"We film clips here and there in Philly," he said. "My friend raps so we make footage to put in videos."
Temo told NBC10 they filmed the scene using an iPhone 6 camera. While they noticed people watching them as they staged the abduction, Temo says he assumed they knew it was fake because no one was doing anything to stop it. A few hours later Temo received a text from his brother.
"My brother texted me and he said, 'You know that rap video? It's on the news you idiot!'" Temo said. "Then he got mad at me. Then we immediately called 911."
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Temo and his friends then spoke to police and explained the situation.
"They were kind of upset about it but then again they were understanding," he said. "They were just shocked."
No charges have been filed in relation to the incident.
