‘How Embarrassing’: New York Woman Detained In Walmart and Wrongfully Accused of Stealing By a Nosy Bystander, Puts Unapologetic Cop on Blast
A Walmart shopper in Latham, New York, was accused of stealing by the very police officer she turned to for help when she couldn’t pull up her digital receipt, video shows. When surveillance footage proved her innocence, the officer was unrepentant and sharply shut her down when she asked for an apology.
“An apology [from the guard] would have solved this whole thing, but the ego couldn’t go to sleep for one second,” wrote one commenter.
Breanna Beasley recently posted a video of her ordeal on Instagram, which has quickly racked up tens of thousands of views. She was detained while trying to leave a Walmart store because she did not have a paper receipt, and her e-receipt failed to load due to spotty internet service.
Things went from bad to worse when she asked a cop working as a security officer for assistance. She explained in the video’s caption, “So, I ask a police officer for help because the Walmart associate won’t let me leave…But then some Karen walks up to the police officer (lying) and says, ‘Oh, I saw her and she didn’t pay.’”
Breanna was pulled aside and questioned while a manager reviewed surveillance footage and her transaction history, all thanks to the security officer who believed a stranger’s account over hers.
In the video, Breanna pleaded with the guard: “Do you know how embarrassing it is for you to sit here and tell me you don’t think I paid when I know I paid, or to give me a hard time?”
She then tried to reason with him, saying the random “lady” who accused her “was not even there when I paid,” but her words fell on deaf ears. Instead, she received frustrating advice: the cop told her to “get a paper receipt next time.”
Although digital receipts are becoming increasingly popular in retail, the majority of U.S. consumers still prefer paper, according to a recent poll. E-receipts come with a range of issues, from unwanted spam and privacy concerns to technical glitches that can cause major headaches.
Breanna’s receipt snafu was compounded by the officer’s false assumptions and his refusal to apologize, even after the truth became clear.
As one commenter put it: “A person with power who can’t apologize is very dangerous.”
“Great job staying calm, but I can only imagine how frustrating this was,” wrote another. “The inability for him to offer a simple apology is ridiculous.”