An employee at King Soopers supermarket was fired after he recorded three men shoplifting $500 worth of laundry detergent because he breached their ‘don’t chase or intervene’ policy.
Santino Burrola was on shift on Father’s Day at the Arapahoe County store, Colorado, when he became aware of a theft and pulled out his phone to record the incident.
The former military police officer approached the three thieves as they hurriedly loaded a black Chevy Trax with the stolen goods.
Before pulling off the foil to reveal the vehicle’s license plate, Mr Burrola shouts out: ‘Really bro you got to resort to this? The economy isn’t that bad.’
But despite catching the culprits on camera and helping the police with the investigation, Mr Burrola was fired by the supermarket chain a week later.
Santino Burrola (pictured) was fired after he recorded three men shoplifting $500 worth of laundry detergent because he breached the store’s ‘don’t chase or intervene’ policy
Mr Burrola caught the thieves on camera stealing $500 worth of laundry detergent
The thieves can be seen hurriedly unloading the shopping cart
‘Me and the union rep sat down with them and they recommended termination.
‘I would never let any criminal conduct slide especially when it’s happening right in front of me,’ he told 9News.
The store maintains a policy that employees must not chase after or forcibly stop a shoplifter from escaping in case they put themselves in danger.
He argued that he did not ‘intervene’ with the theft, adding: ‘Did I feel that I overstepped boundaries? Not really because I didn’t physically touch them or alter their shoplifting in any way, I just revealed the license plate to help the community to be aware, the police be aware and to help better catch them.’
Since Mr Burrola was fired, his family have created a GoFundMe to raise $10,000 to cover his lost wages and potential legal fees. So far it has raised over $7,000.
His cousin Alexia Gomez said: ‘He did what he thought was right in order to capture criminals. So far one arrest has been made out of the three criminals and the authorities are still searching for the other two individuals.
He was not given severance pay and was planning to move to Florida to be closer to his family. This loss of position has put a temporary hold on plans and has made him fall behind in a couple of bills.
Santino Burrola was on shift at the Arapahoe County store when he became aware of the theft
The men quickly attempt to load the car with the stolen goods
These donations will help alleviate lost wages, help him with his move to Florida, and cover any legal fees if needed. Hopefully, companies there can appreciate his good act.
I am also helping him look for any attorney recommendations to see if he has a case and if any legal action can be taken.’
Donators were shocked at the supermarket’s decision to fire a ‘hero’.
One said: ‘It is completely absurd that this dedicated employee, who was clearly doing his job in trying to protect his stores merchandise and assist the police in arresting these thieves, was fired due to the insane regulations these corporations have created regarding retail theft.
‘I can understand the “do not physically engage” rule in order to prevent employees or innocent bystanders from being hurt, but the action this employee took was assisting the business, the community, and the police. He did not deserve to be fired by any means.’
Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk