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DA, Actor Comment on Memphis Kroger Assault

(CN) - Footage of teens attacking a Kroger employee in Tennessee led a district attorney to endorse using deadly force in fending off juveniles, while actor James Woods called for a federal investigation.

A YouTube video titled "Racially motivated assault at Kroger in Memphis, TN" depicts a group of teenagers, most of whom appear black, kicking and stomping on a white Kroger employee at an East Memphis store. The woman behind the camera can be heard exclaiming, "All these motherfucking kids. Fucking hoodrats! ... Hold on, they got a white dude! ... Where the security at? ... Somebody call somebody!"

The teens also appear to beat a black Kroger employee. An Associated Press report says that 11 teenagers have been arrested and charged in connection with the Sept. 6 grocery store assault.

A spokesperson for Shelby County District Attorney Amy Weirich was not available to comment on statements Weirich reportedly made on the assault last week. WREG-TV quoted Weirich as saying Tennessee law allows for the use of deadly force to protect oneself, and that deadly force against juveniles can be justified.

The prosecutor's office also appears to have posted a video of Weirich saying that responsibility falls on parents, who could be charged in a situation like this.

"Our law enforcement does an incredible job with the work that they do," she said. "They can't be everywhere. So long before you ever get to the point of having a police officer on every corner and in every parking lot, [you have to ask] what has transpired in these young people's lives to get them to the point of being able to carry out that criminal activity."

On Sept. 9, actor James Woods, whose Rhode Island roots earned him a nod in "Family Guy" lore, took to Twitter to demand action from U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder.

"This is a direct challenge to Eric Holder: Are you, Sir, going to Memphis, TN to address the Kroger racial hate crime? #holderchallenge "

Woods posted the next day: "Mr Holder, stand above politics and address the cancer of ALL racism in America. Go to Memphis. #holderchallenge #TheyGotaWhiteDude"

Weirich, Shelby County's first female district attorney, was appointed by Gov. Bill Haslam in 2011 and was re-elected to an eight-year term Aug. 7.

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