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Denzel Washington came to the aid of a distressed man after spotting him with police

This Dec. 11, 2010 file photo shows actor Denzel Washington speaking at a news conference before the concert in honor of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo in Oslo, Norway.JOHN MCCONNICO

Denzel Washington came to the aid of a man in West Hollywood last week after he spotted the individual in a distressed state while surrounded by several police officers, according to a video posted by TMZ that has since gone viral on social media.

In the video, the “Malcolm X” and “Training Day” star can be seen comforting the man, with Washington placing his hand on the man’s shoulder and standing by him throughout the interaction with police.

Washington appears to act as a mediator throughout, talking to both the officers on the scene and the man as he lingers by the wall. Washington and the officers all wore face masks.

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Toward the end of the brief clip, the man — who is wearing a blue sweatshirt with the word “California” emblazoned across it — is shown being placed in handcuffs. Washington remained with him throughout the entire incident.

The encounter with law enforcement, which appears to have taken place on May 21, came only days before George Floyd’s death while he was in police custody in Minneapolis. Floyd, who was accused of writing a bad check, was killed on Monday after an officer placed his knee on Floyd’s neck for a prolonged period of time during an arrest.