A video circulating online shows Family Dollar employees forcefully dragging a homeless, mentally ill woman out of a Detroit store, triggering a police investigation and raising questions from family members.
The video clip spreading online shows one worker firmly tugging a woman by her coat and walking her out of the store. She grabs a cart and falls to the ground, but the worker continues to drag her across the floor while she holds on to the cart.
She also tries to grab other items as she’s being pulled toward the exit until she’s finally booted from the establishment.
According to WDIV, a Facebook Live captured the incident.
Family members identified the woman who was thrown out of the store as Sunda Carter and said she is currently unhoused and struggles with mental illness.
“The video gets worse and worse the more you see it,” said Faith Carter, the woman’s sister.
The reason Carter was thrown out was due to an alleged shoplifting incident, but her family maintains that the employees’ response was extreme and potentially harmful. They also expressed concerns about how retailers interact with individuals with mental illnesses during suspected shoplifting cases.
“Yes, it is wrong to steal, but they could have called the police. There are other ways to go about it,” Faith Carter said. “This could have really escalated. She could have passed out. She could have had a heart attack.”
Family members are working to locate Carter now to check on her health and well-being. They’ve also visited the store to demand answers from employees about the force they used to boot Carter from the store.
“I need Family Dollar to reach out to me. I don’t need to reach out to Family Dollar,” Carter’s mother, Mildred Thomas, stated.
Family Dollar has yet to release a public statement on the matter.
Thomas said the family might take legal action.
Police launched an investigation and stated they have one person in custody, but have not identified whether that individual is the alleged shoplifter.
People who viewed the video online expressed similar concerns as Carter’s family.
“The lady is mentally ill and how they handled it was so wrong,” one Facebook user wrote.
“Employees cannot handle people that way. If they truly felt she was breaking the law or something they should call the police. She/her family should absolutely sue them,” an Instagram user commented.
