Kroger manager fired after he slams a knife-wielding shoplifter to the ground
By Will Lerner
April 18, 2014 1:58 PM
Odd News
If youre an employee of a chain store and you see a shoplifter, dont confront them. Its been proven again and again and again and again that no matter how noble your intentions are, you can be fired from your job. As KDFW FOX 4 News reports, this is exactly what happened to one Kroger grocery store manager in Arlington, Texas.
A customer in the parking lot of the Kroger recorded the incident on their cellphone. In the video, you can see the unnamed manager approach the shoplifting suspect. The suspect appears to have a knife in his hand. The manager shoves him into a parked car and gets the knife out the suspects hand before eventually slamming him down to the ground.
The alleged shoplifter is 51-year-old Claude Medlock. According to KDFW, Arlington Police say that Mr. Medlock has a, lengthy criminal history that includes theft and robbery convictions. They didnt consider the managers actions a crime, but that didnt matter to Kroger. Kroger sent a statement to KDFW, which read in part:
The incidentis not a reflection of our companys fraud prevention protocol, procedures or trainingHe is no longer employed by our company.
The manager told the station that he had worked in loss prevention for 13 years, and believed he handled the situation properly.
15,996 comments to that Yahoo thread as of this posting 1:48 a.m. Sunday April 20th 2014.
Comments such as :
"I didn't know Krogers owns Ralphs. Unless Krogers hires this guy back with a nice raise, I will no longer shop at my local Ralphs."
and
So we let criminals get away with it...so your company can charge more to honest consumers. !
Unfortunately, there are some humans who know right from wrong, and they will act INSTINCTIVELY! If a burglar came into your home while you were there and stole from you, you would simply let them walk away?
Hiding behind the pathetic excuse that it is a policy is asinine. There is NO REASON to fire the employee because this was probably his/her first violation of that policy. Place a note in their personnel file, give them a warning, review the policy, and move on.
"Oh, but they could get hurt and sue the company." Well maybe the problem is with the law, then. Simple solution: create a law that states if someone breaks a rule or law, they forfeit their right to sue! Instead, we get the stupidity of Jim Carrey's "Liar, Liar!" role where a burglar breaks into a home, falls on a knife in the kitchen, sues the homeowner and wins!
I hope the manager sues and wins. WHO GIVES A FLYING **** if the shoplifter "broke his finger" or got "hurt" after being slammed. He got what he deserved; you pull a knife on someone expect to get your ass beat. Plain and simple. Maybe if that particular location had security (HINT, HINT,) rather than pay for STUPID ASSED RETARDED WORTHLESS programs "designed to help" the company, this wouldn't have happened. I punched a guy in his face for shoving me in the parking lot one time. But that's another story
I don't stop NOBODY. PERIOD. I don't care if they got the whole store under their coat walking out the door. I see people steal everyday and it ain't none of my business.
If you get hurt bad and can't work anymore from stopping a shoplifter you think Kroger gonna take care of you? Big fat NO!
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"Resistance is futile...you will be assimilated" - The Krog
vilification of the good guy is why we, as a country, are falling apart. The aggressor always wins in the end. thieves should have no rights. people who stand up to them are heroes.
-- Edited by BagBoy on Sunday 20th of April 2014 01:54:01 PM
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Would you like fries with th... I mean, your milk in a bag?
The other article I read said the guy wasn't stealing. He was trying to give something(food?) he had in his vehicle away to a poor customer. The manager confronted him and said,"Don't sell groceries in the parking lot."
it feels like it's a waste of time. we'll call for management and they don't show so people run out the door pushing buggies full of beer. they're laughing because the joke's on us.
Shop lifters died families have sued they have a policy you sign whats hard to understand.. if you want to get killed for a 3.dollar beer go ahead get killed for something that you don't even own.
AT least their manager tried to stop a shoplifter. Our associate manager won't even stop them. Hell he actually went as far as to apologize to a customer that was rightfully accused of shoplifting because they made such a scene.
True. We had one shoplifting female get stopped by management and security (security being a rare thing) and she tossed the security AND management over her shoulder when they had her. She was all hopped up on who knows what kinds of drugs. Then she yelled she was preggo and not to hit her, lest she loose the baby and her man come down and "shoot this hellhole to the ground." Our über cool manager said "if you were a man, you'd be picking your teeth off the ground." Cops were called and the (NOT) preggo lady got taken away. We then had a meeting about the dangers of apprehending shoplifters.
vilification of the good guy is why we, as a country, are falling apart. The aggressor always wins in the end. thieves should have no rights. people who stand up to them are heroes.
-- Edited by BagBoy on Sunday 20th of April 2014 01:54:01 PM
Where I live if you get caught stealing you only spend the night in jail. Next day you are out. That really really sucks. There is one small town near me that does make people caught stealing they have to stand on main streets holding a sign that saids "I got caught shoplifting" I saw that one day and I laughed so hard. It was like 95 + outside. I felt a little bad for them but not much they do bring them water. Im not a fan over someone dying over something like shoplifting but I am glad to see they are showing everyone they got caught shoplifting. This is a little off topic but if it was up to me I would bring back the chain gang. You would see convicts chopping grass on the side of the road. Yes I am a hard ass.