The sales staff at Zara in Lynwood, Washington, should stick to selling clothes.
A wild chase broke out when Zara workers in the Seattle suburb suspected a Black woman of shoplifting. They caused so much chaos that police officers descended on the scene, and the woman said she intended to file assault charges against the employees.
The young mother, who goes by Douniya on TikTok, filmed the harrowing ordeal, and her personal video, along with security and bodycam footage, was posted on social media and has now been seen by millions of shocked viewers.
At least four overzealous salespeople, who mistakenly believed Douniya had stolen a pink dress, gave chase through the mall, grabbing and tugging at the shopper, according to the video. They pursued her through the food court and into the parking garage, where she got into her car despite attempts to block her. As she drove away, several employees pulled out their phones and began filming her exit.
The panicked woman stopped in the outdoor parking lot and called the police to report the incident. Soon after, officers arrived at the store to review security footage with the Zara employees, whose story quickly unraveled under questioning.
The entire staff of a Zara chased after a lady who walked out without buying anything, accusing her of stealing a pink dress
by u/Girl-Understood in TikTokCringe
After a search of Douniya’s car turned up only her child’s baby blanket — and no stolen merchandise or any evidence supporting the theft claims — Zara staff couldn’t let it go and floated several incriminating theories, according to the video.
One vigilante worker claimed a jacket draped over Douniya’s arm was Zara merchandise. Another stated she suddenly ran out of the store, even though security footage showed her calmly walking. One accused her of “shoving” one of the workers, which the video once again proved false.
At one point, an employee alleged that Douniya must have dumped the merchandise in the mall’s parking lot before stopping to call police. She offered to personally comb the area for stolen goods, and went so far as to suggest that mall security follow her home.
In her caption, Douniya expressed horror at the level of “brain Olympics to make me a thief.”
She told a responding officer, “I have video of them grabbing me. I recorded them running, chasing me. They were all screaming and laughing like it was a joke. It’s not funny.”
In a moment of vindication, after she granted permission to search her car, the officer made an astonishing admission: “I don’t necessarily agree with how they handle things at all…We deal with them all the time. Unfortunately, they do this quite often. Their employees act as loss prevention.”
Clearly, they got carried away playing crime fighters.
Douniya later wrote in the comments on TikTok, “There wasn’t a single employee there when I needed help. But they all came out of the woodwork when they thought a black woman stole.”
Many viewers are urging her to pursue legal action against the company and the employees.
“Oh sista! This is your moment. What are you going to rename the store once you own it?” read the most popular comment on the first TikTok video in the series.
“They left the store completely unattended to racially profile you,” wrote another. “All the way to the car is crazy work.”
