Memphis man threatens to shoot Kroger security officer during theft incident
MEMPHIS, TN Sept 5 2017
A man was arrested for threatening to shoot a Kroger security guard.
An employee at the East Shelby Drive store in Whitehaven said she witnessed a man putting items in his clothes and trying to leave the store.
When the man, identified as 54-year-old Bernard Williams, got outside on an electric shopping cart the security guard worked to detain him.
A video surfaced on social media over the weekend of the security guard choking out Williams while trying to detain him.
“It was a little troubling to see. The problem for me is initially what was happening and why it was happening,” Kroger shopper Brandis Leverette said.
Williams then threatened to shoot the security guard, according to Memphis Police Department.
“It looked a bit over excessive, but if that was the case, and he was threatening to shoot people, you have to keep people safe,” Leverette said.
Williams was arrested and charged with theft of property. He admitted to taking $63 of items from the store. No gun was found on him.
A Kroger spokesperson said the company outsources with Central Defense for its security, so the man who detained Williams is technically not a Kroger employee.
Kroger also said, through its internal investigation, Williams was resisting arrest, and had drug paraphernalia.
Williams, who was charged with theft of property under $1,000, has a lengthy criminal history involving numerous theft charges.
WMC
