Whole Foods has permanently banned one security firm and replaced it with another after a guard in Oakland allegedly beat a man bloody and unconscious.
According to Bay Area public radio station KQED, Admiral Security Services has been replaced by Concord-based A.G.S. Private Security, and the guard from Admiral has reportedly been “permanently banned” from working at any of the Whole Foods stores.
The alleged incident took place on Thursday night. A verbal dispute between a cashier and the customer reportedly became physical when the security guard arrived. The guard allegedly proceeded to slam the shopper against a concrete pillar outside of the store before placing him in a chokehold until he passed out. The customer was reportedlybleeding profusely.
Whole Foods Oakland issued a statement on its Facebook page the night of the incident:
While we don’t yet have the final results from the police investigation of this incident, we do have a ZERO TOLERANCE policy for violence. As a result of the violent behavior of the security guard at Whole Foods Market Oakland, we are replacing this security firm in the store.
Zoe Marks, a Seattle native and lecturer in African studies at Edinburgh University posted the “horrific” incident to her social media accounts. According to KQED, she said “people were shouting they were never going to shop at Whole Foods again. Everyone was shocked.”
Photo: file
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