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Target - Security

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Sandra of Highland CA (8/3/04):
I took my 5-year-old son school clothes shopping. My friend and I along with my son walked through the jewelry department. I tried on a $6.00 ring and I got it stuck on my finger with the tag in tack. We preceded to shop for school clothes and as I was trying to get it off I pulled the tag off. Ooops! I still had the box in my cart with the items that I was purchasing and about 10 feet before the register I finally got the ring off my finger. I put the ring back in its original box and sat it on the register behind us - there was no checker at that register.

I paid for my things and waited for my friend to pay. We proceeded to exit the store and a plainclothes man cut in front of us and a Target security employee was behind us. They asked us to come with them. So we walked to a back office and the plainclothes guy said: "You know why we stopped you right?" I said no.

He then raised his voice and said that he wants his merchandise back. I asked him what merchandise he was talking about, because everything I have I have a receipt for. He then stated we can do this the easy way or the hard way. I asked him what he was talking about -- he then said that he was following us around the whole time we were shopping, and that he saw me steal not 1 but 2 rings.

I told him he was mistaken and that I put the ring on the counter next to the register that I checked out at. And that the ring on my finger is mine. I took it off so he could see that it was not new, that it had scratches on it. He then got closer to me and asked, "Are you calling me a liar?"

I said no but what I am saying is that you are mistaken. I then asked him to please please go check the register counter that where you will find the ring still in the box. He would not go look, he just kept yelling at me and my poor 5-year-old son was sitting on the ground in the office crying. He then said, "If you don't give me back my merchandise I'm calling the cops and you will go to jail."

My son in screaming, "Please please don't take my Mommy to jail. Please."

He looked at my son and said, "Your mommy needs to give me back what she stole or I will call the cops and they will take her to jail." I begged him to please go look on the register counter. I opened up my purse for the 5th or 6th time and begged him to check my purse. At that time a female employee walked in and I asked her to please check my purse and I lifted up my shirt to show to them that I didn't have any pockets to hide anything in.

By then I'm in tears because he would not go check and my son is so upset. Finally the other security employee went to go check. By then the other security guy came back in and said it was there. He then told me to just admit to him that I was planning to steal the rings. And if I admitted to him that I was he would let us go.

So I said to him OK I was planning on them and also said in the same breath but sir that's not what happened. He stated that it's his choice because once we stepped behind his door that we were in his custody. So as he raised his voice again he said "Just admit it" And you can go. I then told him once again OK I was planning on stealing them but once again you are mistaken sir. Because I was not trying to steal the ring it just was stuck on my finger. And this other ring belongs to me.

He then stated, "OK well you have to understand where I'm coming from." He said "OK, you are free to leave."

He never apologized to my 5-year-old son or my friend. He just said that we need to understand where hes coming from. I told him that no I don't because his whole approach is WRONG!! Especially when he's not even sure of what happened. He just assumed!

My son is now afraid that his Mommy is going to go to jail just like the bad man said. He had a real hard time sleeping and ever since this happened he will not sleep in his own bed. He thinks that he is going to wake up and Mommy is going to be gone to jail just like the bad man said. What a way to start off his first day of first grade.

No one has to go through this. A consumer detained by store security should immediately and in no uncertain terms demand that the police be called and should refuse to make any additional statement of any kind. You do not have to volunteer any information, submit to any kind of search or prove your innocence in any way. You should, of course, cooperate with police officers who arrive on the scene but you should assert your innocence and refuse to answer questions without your attorney being present. If the store does not call police, you are free to go. If you are restrained in any way by store personnel, you should immediately consult an attorney about filing false arrest, assault and abduction charges against the store and the individuals in its employ.

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