A video of a white male customer beating down a Black woman at T.J. Maxx as she attempted to walk through the exit with shopping bags of items has drawn debate and criticism on Twitter.
Online viewers of the footage are split about what transpired. Some are calling the man a “good Samaritan,” while others say he committed a crime by assaulting the woman.
Several women in the video can be seen wearing black hoodies and carrying multiple bags as they make their way out of the Mira Loma, California, store on Limonite Ave on Sunday, April 30.
As one woman reaches the door, the man steps in and grabs her. He reaches out and yanks her. The pair exchanged blows before he wrestles the woman to the ground. She lets go of the two bags and leaves the store.
During the altercation, the man even knocks her into the store’s sensor detector before punching her. ABC 7 News states while no arrests have been made, a report was taken by local police. Bystanders in the store accuse the women of stealing.
“Have some shame,” one woman is heard yelling as the women run out of the store. However, onlookers also show concern as the man becomes more and more violent.
“A woman needs to get involved,” a woman off camera says.
Social media is split on its response to the video.
One user suggests that the man could be attempting to execute a citizen’s arrest, which is legal in the state.
User FireBird wrote, “That does not permit you to commit crimes yourself in the process.”
It is not clear how those social media users came to the conclusion that the man who intervened was attempting to arrest the woman he prevented from leaving with the stolen goods.
Many looked past the validity of his action and her crime and wrote, “Looks like a skit out of the WWE.”
Some also bought up race in discussions about the video that quickly went viral on Twitter Tuesday.
“YT people love acting like they care about big chain stores getting robbed when in reality he just wants the chance to beat up a Black woman lol cuz he woulda never did this if she were white,” wrote Twitter user @thisiskashmir wrote. “Now you going to jail too and TJ MAXX won’t even send you as much as a gift card.”
Shoplifting is a major problem for stores.
A week before the footage from this incident went viral, an Oregon man was sentenced to 30 months in prison for his role in a shoplifting scam. Zachary Everett Oberle, 34, set a T.J. Maxx on fire in 2022 as a way to distract workers so his girlfriend could come in and steal.
Major retail superstores like Walmart report that excessive shoplifting has impacted their bottom line substantially.
In an interview in December with CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said, “Theft is an issue. It’s higher than what it has historically been. If that’s not corrected over time, prices will be higher, and/or stores will close.”
Target’s Chief Financial Officer Michael Fiddelke said their research has determined much of the theft is organized by a web of thieves. The CFO noted that over the last few years, each year, the amount of shoplifting has increased by 50 percent and in 2022 cost the company as much as $400 million in losses.
He expects losses to hit $600 million by the end of 2023.
California Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi introduced a bill in December 2022 to help curb retail theft.
His legislation seeks to lower the value amount for what can be considered felony theft. If his bill is made law, grand theft and shoplifting will not start at $950 but have a threshold of $400, the San Francisco Standard reports.
In addition to creating tougher laws to punish shoplifters, like the ones at the Mira Loma T.J. Maxx, stores are working more closely with local law enforcement.
“We’re partnering with law enforcement, legislators, community partners, and retail trade associations to address this growing national problem, including strong support for the INFORM Consumers Act to increase accountability and prevent criminals from selling stolen goods on online marketplaces,” Target spokesperson Brian Harper-Tibaldo said in 2022.
T.J. Maxx has not released a statement regarding the incident or its struggles with shoplifting over the years.
