A grocery store employee in Colorado was fired after he videotaped three men loading stolen laundry detergent into a vehicle. Last month, ...
A grocery store employee in Colorado was fired after he videotaped three men loading stolen laundry detergent into a vehicle.
Last month, Santino Burrola went viral after posting a video to social media showing three men loading a basket full of stolen laundry detergent into a mini van in the parking lot of a King Soopers grocery store.
"Damn, these guys are good— look at 'em, stealing," Burrola said in the video. "Really, bro? You got to resort to this? The economy's not that bad. Better get it while the gettin's good."
As the vehicle drove off, Burrola managed to yank a piece of aluminum foil covering the license plate. He called police and shared the video on social media. His efforts helped police identify the driver of the car, whom they later arrested. Police are still searching for the other two men, but, fortunately, they know their identifies thanks to Burrola.
But that didn't stop King Soopers from terminating Burrola.
The former military police officer told KCNC-TV that when he returned to work for the next shift following the theft, he was suspended. Then, during a meeting with the company that included a union representative, he was fired.
Apparently, King Soopers officials believe Burrola violated an employee policy that instructs employees not to intervene in theft.
In a statement, the company refused to comment on the matter directly, saying:
We have security measures in place to help prevent crime and de-escalate such confrontations to minimize the risk to our associates. While we are unable to comment on personnel matters, we value our hardworking associates and their safe return home.
But Burrola disagrees.
"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," he said, KUSA-TV reported.
Burrola was fired without severance pay, according to a GoFundMe established to help him.
His termination comes after Lululemon fired two employees in Georgia for intervening in a theft.
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