THIS is the moment security guards grab an “innocent” John Lewis shopper and slam him to the floor after claiming he shoplifted.
The man was allegedly followed by security guards after leaving the retailer before the shocking incident took place.
The shocking footage shows a member of John Lewis staff confronting a man, accusing him of shoplifting[/caption]
The heated exchange quickly escalates and two guards then grab the man from behind[/caption]
They proceed to slam the man to the concrete in front of horrified onlookers[/caption]
They pin him to the ground demanding that he ‘behave himself’[/caption]
The astonishing footage was captured on Above Bar Street in Southampton on Tuesday, September 25 in broad daylight.
It shows the man, dressed in a t-shirt with shades on, confronted by a member of staff in the street, accusing him of shoplifting from the store.
They tell him: “We’ve got confirmation you’ve taken an item from us without paying for it.”
The man seems to protest the accusations but the heated exchange quickly escalates as the staff member requests to see the man’s identification.
Two security guards are then filmed approaching the man from behind with one grabbing him and slamming him on the concrete.
The two guards then pin him to the ground and scream: “Behave yourself, right now! Right now!”
But upon inspection of the man’s backpack, the hot-tempered guards then help the man to his feet before he is let go.
At the end of the clip, the staff member who accused the man appears to fall to the ground.
The incident was filmed by Thomas Oswald, a local farmer, who posted the footage on TikTok: “Enjoying my morning tea and this drama unfolded right in front of me in Southampton today.
“Turned out the guy was innocent too. The security team were local and the accusers from John Lewis.”
The full circumstances of the incident and the man’s innocence has yet to be confirmed.
However, police have said they did not receive any reports regarding the incident today.
The video has racked up hundreds of thousands of views and Oswald said the incident left him “absolutely shocked”.
“The poor victim’s head was just a few inches from hitting a curb,” he told MailOnline.
“If he’d hit the corner of the curb that that hard it would have killed him or given him serious brain damage.”
He added that he was unsure whether to call the police because the treatment of the man “wasn’t right”.
“They could have sat the man down and dealt with the incident calmly but instead they slammed him to the ground.”
The security guards worked for Go!Southampton who say they are investigating the incident.
A spokesperson for the company said: “We are aware of the incident, which we are taking very seriously.
“Our service partner Argenbright Security Europe Limited are currently conducting a thorough investigation into the event.”
John Lewis also confirmed they’re looking into the confrontation and said: “We were very concerned to see this video, and are urgently investigating this matter.’
Hampshire Police have been contacted for comment.
The man’s bag is then searched as he is stuck beneath the two security guards[/caption]
But upon inspecting his backpack, the security guards eventually get off him[/caption]
