A Colorado supermarket employee was fired after he tracked down a gang of shoplifters and filmed them loading their car with about $500 worth of merchandise.
Santino Brora was working a shift at Centennial’s King Supers grocery store on June 18 when he received a call about a theft inside the CBS Colorado store. report. “Sure, when I saw this guy with a cart full of laundry detergent fragrance enhancers already half out of my head, what have you got,” Brora told the outlet. He added that his first instinct was to pull out his cell phone and record the crime.
in the videoIn , a trio of men are seen quickly loading stolen goods into a dark Chevrolet Trucks. Should I rely on this? The economy isn’t that bad. ”
As the men closed the SUV’s hatch, Brora noticed they had covered the license plate with foil. As they attempt to drive away, Brora is seen reaching out and stripping off the foil, revealing the license plate number.
Supermarket employee fired for recording 3 men stealing $500 laundry detergent https://t.co/nHxzaW6Qvl pic.twitter.com/GbAiDV7Ayc
— New York Post (@nypost) July 6, 2023
The video went viral after it was shared by millions of viewers, including rapper and actor Snoop Dogg, according to the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office. clearly in a press release.
The video helped the sheriff’s office arrest the driver of the vehicle, who they identified as 32-year-old Jorge Pantoja. He was already in custody at Adams County Jail on an unrelated felony and has since been charged with second-degree misdemeanor charges of theft and shoplifting, the press release said.
The other two suspects have not yet been identified, but Pantoja claims he met them at a light rail station and offered them the opportunity to make money. The sheriff’s office said the men claimed to have told them their names were Robert and Bugsy.
Brora said the video helped police find the perpetrator of the theft, but the pursuit of the suspect ultimately cost him his job. After his pursuit, Brora claimed he was suspended from managing King Supers and eventually fired him about a week later. Brolla said supermarket chains have policies that prohibit employees from intervening in theft.
“Me and the trade union representatives sat down with them and they said [King Soopers] They advised me to get fired, so I got fired that day,” Brora told CBS News.
“Our company has security measures in place to prevent crime and mitigate such conflicts in order to minimize the risk to our employees. We value our strong employees and their safe return home,” King Supers spokeswoman Jessica Trowbridge said in a statement to the Daily Caller. (Related: ‘Let Theft Happen’: Lululemon CEO defends firing employee after shoplifter broke into store)
Brora said he hopes the store will change its policy and give power back to retail workers. “All I did was document and expose criminals!” Brora told CBS News.
Investigators are asking anyone who can identify the other two suspects from the video to contact the Arapahoe Sheriff’s Office.
