A Cleveland realtor inadvertently recorded himself fleeing from gunfire while filming a property listing video for social media. Aiden Avtgis, a team lead at ReMax Infinity, was sitting outside a house in the Forest Hills neighborhood of eastern Cleveland on May 21 when a shootout erupted.
Avtgis was creating a video about purchasing investment properties. In the now-viral clip, he stated, 'I just bought three houses in Cleveland, Ohio, for $60,000 each.' He would soon witness why the properties were so inexpensive.
The footage shows Avtgis seated on the wide railing of the steps leading to the house's porch, looking intently past the camera as a group of men shout indistinctly. The men then yell, 'Oh yeah,' prompting Avtgis to spring up and dash inside the house. As he fled, a heavy exchange of gunfire erupted, with over a dozen shots audible.
Avtgis posted the video to his Instagram account, aidenrealtor, where it garnered nearly 6 million views and approximately 245,000 likes as of Wednesday morning.
Speaking to News 5 Cleveland, Avtgis said he immediately called police after the shootout. 'The response is a lot slower than what I was used to growing up where I grew up,' he remarked.
Shootings in eastern Cleveland are a regular occurrence. According to Cleveland Police Calls for Service data, there have been eight 911 calls for shots fired within a one-mile radius of Thornhill Drive over the past month. More broadly, Police District 5, covering eastern Cleveland, has received 116 calls for shots fired in the same period, averaging about four per day.
Michael Nonley, a resident of the block, told News 5 Cleveland, 'It's a common thing. I'm not safe, in fact I'm looking to move. Something does need to be done.'
Avtgis acknowledged that his viral video could make renting or selling property in the area more challenging, but he did not want to conceal the truth. 'If you're investing in these areas, I think you need to be aware of the consequences of what can happen. Something needs to change,' he said.
Commenters on the video largely viewed it with humor or lightheartedness despite highlighting the prevalence of gun violence. One wrote, 'Making sure rent stay low.' Another quipped, 'Welcome to the neighborhood!' A third added, 'LMFAO this how you prevent gentrification.'
The Cleveland Police Department told the Daily Mail it is working on a statement in response to the video.
