A heroic act by a grocery store employee led to his termination from King Soopers in Colorado. Santino Burrola, a former military police officer, captured a video of three men loading stolen goods into a vehicle in the store’s parking lot.
The video quickly generated widespread attention, with popular rapper Snoop Dogg sharing it on Instagram with his 80 million followers.
Expressing his disbelief, Burrola exclaimed in the video, “Damn, these guys are good — look at ’em, stealing. Really, bro? You got to resort to this? The economy’s not that bad. Better get it while the gettin’s good.”
Little did he know that his intervention would soon cost him his job.
Hero King Sooper employee fired after trying to stop POS shoplifters from looting his store.
Once again, the good guy is made into the bad guy. pic.twitter.com/VmfTqx2s1V— Kevin Dalton (@TheKevinDalton) July 6, 2023
As the vehicle attempted to leave the scene, Burrola managed to pull off a piece of aluminum foil used to conceal the license plate. He promptly contacted the police and through the video he made, investigators were able to identify the driver of the vehicle and arrest him.
While the search for the remaining two perpetrators is ongoing, their identities have been established, thanks to Burrola’s efforts.
However, instead of praising his determination and community spirit, King Soopers chose to terminate Burrola’s employment, citing a violation of its employee policy, which strictly prohibits intervention in theft incidents.
“We have security measures in place to help prevent crime and de-escalate such confrontations to minimize the risk to our associates. While we are unable to comment on personnel matters, we value our hardworking associates and their safe return home,” the company said in a statement.
However, Burrola, who was terminated without receiving any severance pay, does not think he deserves the termination.
In an interview with KUSA-TV, he stated, “Did I feel that I overstepped boundaries? Not really because I didn’t physically touch them or alter their shoplifting in any way. I just revealed the license plate to help the community be aware, the police be aware, and to better catch them.”
Speaking to Fox News, the now-former grocery store employee said he was acting on a direct order from a superior. “I was given a direct order by the third person in charge to get the license plate, and my initial reaction was to record,” he stated.
King Soopers has reportedly declined to make any comments regarding the termination.
