Construction workers sue security guard firm over beating and robbery at Whole Foods jobsite
HOUSTON TX Sept 8 2018
Workers from a Pennsylvania-based concrete flooring business hired to finish floors at a Whole Foods Market were robbed, beaten and kidnapped while a security guard hired to protect them smoked marijuana and later fell asleep in his car.
The employees have now filed a lawsuit after they suffered the traumatic event almost six months ago at their jobsite, according to recent Harris County District Court records.
In the 16-page complaint filed on Sept. 4 in the Harris County 234th District Court, Zecharian Thomas, Rickie Jackson, and Edgar Lopez blame the Mar. 21 incident on Twin City Security, Inc.; Heartland Retail Construction, Inc.; W.D.S. Construction, Inc.; and Whole Foods Market, Inc.
Employed by Rockerz, Inc., the plaintiffs were working on a Whole Foods construction site in north Houston. Heartland hired the men to complete the job of polishing concrete flooring for the project that was ran by W.D.S., which, in turn, hired Twin City to provide nighttime security when the complainants were working.
Court papers claim the security was lax as unidentified assailants attacked the men, including a co-worker named William Mitchell. Jackson, Lopez, and Mitchell, who is not a party in the litigation, were forced at gunpoint into a work truck where they were tied up while Thomas was able to defend himself against the suspected robbers.
The original petition adds that Thomas went to look for an on duty Twin City security guard when he found one asleep in his vehicle. Thomas was “overwhelmed by the strong smell coming from the” guard’s car, the suit says.
Thomas then located and freed his co-workers.
Consequently, the plaintiffs seek unspecified monetary damages and a jury trial.
They are represented by Scott H. Palmer, P.C. in Addison, Tex.
Harris County 234th District Court Case No. 2018-59884
