06 July 2023 , 20:11
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A supermarket employee was fired after he captured viral video of three men stealing approximately $500 worth of laundry detergent on Father's Day this year.
Santino Burrola was alerted of the theft in progress and immediately jumped into action, recording the commotion.
“When I looked there was already a guy halfway headed out with a food cart full of laundry detergents and scent boosters and what have you,” Mr Burrola explained to CBS Colorado. “My first instinct, record.”
Footage - shared by Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office - shows Burrola approaching the trio as they rush to store detergent into their vehicle.
"Really bro? You gotta resort to this? The economy's not that bad," said Mr Burrola in the viral clip. Burrola pokes fun at the brazen buffoons before he is able to rip foil off license plate.
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An employee who captured viral video of brazen thieves stealing laundry detergent has been fired (Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office)Following the tense altercation, Mr Burrola alerted authorities and posted the clip online. It has since gone viral, even being shared by the likes of Snoop Dogg.
Mr Burrola's brief fling with fame would soon take a much darker turn.
Showing up to work his next shift, Mr Burrola was gobsmacked to learn he was being suspended by King Soopers management. By the next week, he was fired.
Santino Burrola was alerted of the theft in progress and immediately jumped into action, recording the heist (CBS News Colorado)"I and the union rep sat down with them and they [King Soopers] recommended termination and so I got fired that day," he said.
King Soopers is a subsidiary of Krogers and the chain has a policy about chasing or intervening in a theft. Employees must not chase after or forcibly stop a shoplifter from escaping in case they put themselves in danger.
Burrola pokes fun at the brazen buffoons before he is able to rip foil off license plate (Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office)Mr Burrola said: "All I did was just record criminals and reveal them!"
For Mr Burrola, a former military police officer, the punishment seems harsh for doing the right thing.
"I would never let any criminal conduct slide especially when it's happening right in front of me," he said.
Mr Burrola is hoping that the incident will bring about changes to policy.
The driver, 32-year-old Jorge Pantoja, was detained and arrested (CBS News Colorado)He said: "I hope this changes the policy, in the handbook or the shoplifting policy and gives power back to retail workers like myself.
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In a statement to CBS News Colorado, King Soopers asserted that they have "security measures in place to help prevent crime and deescalate such confrontations to minimise the risk to our associaties."
The video did come in handy when authorities were investigating the incident.
The driver, 32-year-old Jorge Pantoja, was detained following initial contact with the registered owner of the vehicle. Pantoja explained that he picked up two other men and asked if they wanted to make some money.
Authorities are still searching for the other two men.