The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department says three teenagers, who are black, were unjustly detained in a Target store during a theft investigation last week
VENTURA, California – The Los Angeles County sheriff’s department said three teenagers, who are black, were unfairly detained at a Target store in Westlake Village during a major theft investigation last week.
The teenagers – one aged 17 and two aged 16 – from Thousand Oaks returned home on January 17, after going to church with friends, when they decided to stop at Target to buy snacks, reported the Ventura County Star.
The teenagers said they were victims of racial discrimination by Target officials and county deputies.
One of the boys told Star that he and his friends were unaware that there was a theft incident while they were at the store, where the suspects broke the electronics section and stole smartphones.
“We were being followed in the store by an employee who said to us, ‘Hey, I can’t leave you wandering around,'” he said. He explained that the group decided to leave, but found the exit blocked by shopping carts.
The teenager said Target’s security team did not let the teenagers leave, although other visitors did.
Then, three police officers arrived and detained the teenagers in front of the store, including handcuffs and placements in a police vehicle for up to 20 minutes before releasing him. The authorities later said they were identified as suspicious by the store’s loss prevention agents.
Captain Sal “Chuck” Becerra said in a statement on social media on Friday that the teenagers were released and an internal investigation found no evidence of excessive use of force.
Target released a note saying the company apologized to the teenagers, fired one of the security guards involved and will require store employees to resume safety training and racial prejudice.
The mother of the teenager who has been handcuffed since then hired attorney Toni Jaramilla to file a lawsuit alleging violation of her son’s civil rights. She disputes the deputies’ report that excessive force was not used.
“The way they were arrested was very aggressive and beyond what was necessary for the situation,” said Jaramilla.