Three employees at a Louisiana sporting goods store were reportedly fired last month after they allegedly stopped a thief from stealing firearms from the store.
On Dec. 16, a routine interaction between an Academy Sports + Outdoors salesperson and a potential customer turned into a crime when the customer stormed out of the store with a firearm he had not purchased.
Michelle Sutton, the store's team leader, said: Said When she heard the heartbreaking call about the theft over the store's radio, she sprang into action, according to WGNO-TV.
“I just left,” Sutton said.
Sutton and two other store employees chased the suspect, but it was too late. The thief was long gone.
Unfortunately, the story doesn't end there.
Four days after the incident, Sutton said he was contacted by the academy's Corporate Firearms Compliance Officer. But instead of thanking her and her colleagues for trying to intercept her stolen firearms (a noble act given that her stolen firearms are frequently used in violent crimes) ), she was informed that her employment at the Academy had been terminated. Two of her colleagues were also fired.
The company notified the employee of the violation of company policy. According to WGNO, the policy states that employees are prohibited from pursuing or detaining shoplifting suspects.
But Sutton said that although she and her colleague technically left the building, they remained on the sidewalk. They wanted police to get information about the shoplifters, including vehicle tag numbers.
“I know my store director said he wanted me to be able to figure out the make and model of the car and maybe the direction the car was going,” she explained.
Additionally, Sutton said retail stores, especially those that sell firearms, need clear expectations for employees.
“All stores that sell firearms, especially concealable handguns, need to have clear policies. They need to undergo additional training. They need to be prepared for the unexpected,” she says.
Blaze News reached out to representatives from the academy and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office for this story. Neither the Academy nor JPSO responded.
Academy employee fired over response to Metairie firearm theftwww.youtube.com
This isn't the first time employees have been fired for trying to stop thieves.
Last year, two Lululemon employees lost their jobs in Georgia after confronting a shoplifter. Their actions eventually helped police arrest the thief. And in July 2023, a King Soopers grocery store employee in Colorado was fired for confronting shoplifters while loading stolen loot into his car.
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