Captain clay higgins youtube

A popular sheriff's deputy who confronted criminals in online videos has resigned amid a backlash over him calling out members of a street gang.

Captain Clay Higgins announced he would be stepping down from his role with St Landry Parish in Louisiana in an impromptu news conference on Monday.

His tough-talking style had won him an army of fans after he starred in the department's YouTube videos calling for suspects to hand themselves in to authorities.

In a video posted on 17 February, Mr Higgins stands in front of dozens of armed officers as he warned seven fugitive members of the Gremlins gang.

In it, he said: "You will be hunted, you will be trapped, and if you raise a weapon to a man like me, we'll return fire with superior fire."

During the video, which has been viewed more than 18 million times on the KATC TV channel Facebook page, Mr Higgins calls out named members of the gang.

He said: "Darren Carter, you think men like these are afraid of an uneducated, 125lb punk like you that's never won a fair fight in your life and holds your gun sideways?

"Men like us, son, we do dumbbell presses with weights bigger than you."

Mr Higgins finishes the video by telling people to "stand up" and urges them to "come forward with information about these heathens that have terrorised your community".

During the news conference, Mr Higgins said his decision to resign was made after Sheriff Bobby Guidroz gave him orders he could not follow.

He said: "Some horses just don't run with the bit in their mouth. I am one of those horses. I don't do well, reigned in."

In a statement, Sheriff Guidroz said he had told Mr Higgins to "tone down" comments in his Crime Stoppers messages, but said that did not apply to the Gremlins gang video.

He said: "My orders to Higgins was to 'tone down' his unprofessional comments on our weekly Crime Stoppers messages and had nothing to do with the Gremlins video that appeared on the networks.

"I agree with the Gremlins video.

"I repeatedly told him to stop saying things like 'you have no brain cells', or making comments that were totally disrespectful and demeaning."

He added: "If Clay Higgins cannot agree with my words, thoughts and message, then he is correct in resigning his position."