Walmart workers harass Black shopper, accuse him of stealing vacuum he bought, suit says
Within moments of buying a vacuum at Walmart, a man was threatened by an employee as he went to leave the store with his receipt, according to a new lawsuit filed against the retail giant.
After walking away from a Walmart self-checkout station, Ryan Redditt didn’t realize the threat was directed toward him at the store in Tigard, Oregon, which is about a 10-mile drive southwest from Portland, the lawsuit says.
“You’re going to jail, the police will be called!” a white female Walmart worker yelled at Redditt, who is Black, on July 11, according to a complaint filed May 10.
As Redditt headed to his car, the complaint says a white Walmart security guard then shouted: “Why you gotta steal?”
The two workers followed Redditt to his vehicle and warned he was “going to jail,” according to the complaint.
Redditt, who felt scared that he was being wrongly accused of theft, noticed he was the only Black customer in the store before he left, the complaint says.
In the parking lot, a third person, described as a white male, joined the two Walmart workers harassing Redditt, according to the complaint.
While seemingly recording Redditt, the person yelled, “I’m so tired of you,” the complaint says.
“We will find you and call the police. We will put this on social media so everyone knows who you are,” the person continued, according to the complaint.
The white security guard is accused of telling Redditt: “You should get a job! Then you won’t have to steal.”
Redditt drove home, according to the complaint, which says he then called Walmart’s corporate number to report what happened. Ultimately, security footage and store transaction records confirmed Redditt didn’t steal from Walmart, the complaint says.
Now Reddit, who lives in Multnomah County, is suing Walmart and two store employees named in the complaint for discrimination based on his race. He is seeking $475,000 in damages, the complaint shows.
Walmart spokeswoman Kelly Hellbusch told McClatchy News in an emailed statement on May 15 that the company received and is “reviewing the complaint. We will respond appropriately in court.”
Information regarding the other defendants’ legal representation wasn’t immediately available.
After Redditt left the store, the security guard called 911 and accused Redditt of stealing the vacuum he purchased, the complaint says.
“It was incredibly insulting,” Redditt told The Oregonian, which first reported the lawsuit.
He has a business running a food cart and explained to the newspaper that he “would never steal, let alone from another business.”
“I work very, very hard. … It was humiliating to be put in that position,” he said.
More than two months after Redditt was accused of theft, a Walmart asset protection operations coach emailed police, saying he “indeed purchased all the merchandise that he left the building with,” according to the complaint.
The complaint contends the Walmart employees’ behavior toward Redditt was motivated by his race, as white customers weren’t wrongly accused of stealing.
Due to the alleged racial discrimination, Redditt “suffered, continues to suffer, and may permanently suffer from feelings of racial stigmatization, fear, humiliation, embarrassment, pain, suffering, and anger,” according to the complaint.
He demands a jury trial.
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