Shocking video shows a Georgia man forcefully detaining a Publix grocery store customer over allegations that he stole $6 worth of food.
Footage shared by the podcast Digital Push Production on Nov. 1 showed a man — who they speculated was an off-duty officer — pressing another man face down on the cement in a headlock.
The man had a gun pointed at the customer’s back. A second man in orange held down his legs, and a woman stepped on his foot.
A crowd gathered outside the Valdosta store to watch as the man called out for his son, who was presumably witnessing the entire ordeal.
“Please, c’mon, man, get off of me,” the father pleaded, but the man, wearing plain clothes at the time, repeatedly told him to “stop” and “relax.”
Florida Man’s Gun-Fueled Meltdown Over Kids’ Ding-Dong Ditch Prank Leaves Boy Needing Stitches
At one point, the father cried out for his son, but the man told him to stop again, even though he did not appear to be resisting.
The man restraining him quipped, “This is so unnecessary.”
According to Digital Push Production, the store accused the father of stealing a sandwich. But the exact circumstances leading up to the incident are unclear.
Georgia repealed its citizen’s arrest law in 2021, meaning private citizens, with few exceptions, can no longer make arrests.
Under Georgia law, officers can make warrantless arrests under certain circumstances, including when they witness a crime. However, the extent of an off-duty officer’s authority can depend on the situation and jurisdiction.
Drawing a gun over a mere sandwich would be hard to justify, but additional details about the incident weren’t available, including whether the man was actually an officer at all.
The video is circulating online and has become a flashpoint about the use of force and vigilante justice.
Viewers flocked to social media to express their outrage.
As one put it, “Gunpoint over a sandwich, how much more [expletive] can you get?!”
Over on the Facebook account of Digital Push Production, one person tagged Publix and wrote, “How are we to know we are safe from thugs with guns playing police while shopping at your establishments!”
Dozens are demanding evidence that the customer actually stole anything.
As the original poster put it: “What resistance was being shown? What immediate threat justified drawing a firearm? And was that level of force proportionate to the situation?”
