Source: Darrin Klimek / Getty
The mother of a DeKalb County, Georgia teen who reportedly threatened the Fulton County Sheriff and demanded the release of Young Thug and YSL members is speaking out on the teen’s mental health.
Malaika Kulenga discussed her 18-year-old son Quartavius Mender’s need for bipolar disorder treatment in a recent interview she did with 11 Alive.
“My son is really a person that really needs help,” said Kulenga. “Right now, what they’re doing is trying to put him in this situation, but he has nothing to do with it. He can’t tell them anything because there’s nothing to tell. There’s nothing. So he’s not a part of any gang, he’s not a gang member.”
Mender — who recently lost a loved one — was diagnosed with mental health struggles when he was 12 according to Kulenga’s separate interview with WSB-TV2.
“My son is dealing with mental health and also he’s grieving, you know? His brother was killed in September from a hit-and-run,” she shared.
Mender’s arrest is linked to the RICO case rappers Young Thug, Gunna and 26 of their alleged YSL associates currently face.
YSL stands for “Young Slime Life” in this context, an alleged gang authorities believe is responsible for a host of crimes listed in a 56 count indictment.
Young Thug and Gunna were arrested on May 9 for their alleged ties to YSL. The two are still in custody and were denied bond, Black Enterprise reports.
Mender reportedly took to social media to demand the rappers’ release and threaten to kill Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat, the latter’s wife and the Atlanta Public Schools Police Chief Ronald Applin.
The teen now faces 23 counts of making terroristic threats and is being held in a county jail.
Mender was taken into custody on May 26.
“I signed up for this. My family certainly did not,” Sheriff Labat said on Friday, according to 11 Alive. “We will not allow anybody to partake in cyberbullying and-or make threats, and there are continuing investigations that will reveal other threats. We are continuing to receive threats, as many as four or five more today that are all social-media based.”
“We think it’s gang-related and at least fan-base related,” the sheriff continued. “So if there are any copycats out there, this has crossed the line, and we’re going to focus on [the] apprehension of those individuals.”
Mender, his sister, and his mother all deny the 18-year-old’s affiliation with YSL.
RELATED CONTENT: “World Teen Mental Wellness Day Has Come And Gone, But The Facts On Black Teen Mental Health Remain”
