SECAUCUS, N.J. (AP) — Two black men who were wrongly accused of not paying to work out at a gym in New Jersey say they were humiliated when staffers there twice called police on them.
Rachid Maiga and Tshyrad (shah’-RAHD) Oates told WNBC-TV that they were playing basketball at the LA Fitness club in Secaucus on April 15 when they were asked to leave by an employee. The dispute appeared to be resolved, but the pair say a club manager soon confronted them and told them to leave.
The two men say they felt like suspects as officers escorted them to the lobby.
Oates later posted videos of the confrontations, and the Irvine-Calif.-based company apologized. LA Fitness says the three employees directly involved in the incident are no longer with the company. However, the female manager on call told WNBC-TV that no racial profiling took place and the three employees were wrongly terminated.
Associated Press contributed to this story.
