Retail giant Target has issued an apology after three Black teenagers were wrongfully detained at a Los Angeles store location earlier this month.
A viral video captured via cellphone shows several Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies holding the teens’ hands behind their backs during a grand theft investigation inside the Westlake Village store.
In an apology statement related to the incident, Target announced that the security team member involved had been terminated.
One of the teenagers, 17-year-old Malik Aaron, told CBS Los Angeles that he and four friends were walking home from church on Jan. 17 when they stopped at the Target to purchase snacks.
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Target Apologizes to Black Teens Detained on Theft Suspicion, Promises Racial Bias Training
On 1/25/21 at 1:29 PM EST
Target apologized after three teenagers were wrongly detained at its Westlake Village, California, store following a grand theft investigation. We want all Target guests to feel welcome and respected whenever they shop in our stores; we re deeply sorry for what happened, and we ve terminated the security team member who was involved, said Jenna Reck, a Target spokesperson, in an emailed statement to
Newsweek on Monday. What happened to these guests is in direct opposition to the inclusive experience we want all our guests to have, Reck added. Our security team member took action and stopped these guests in violation of Target s security procedures. We expect our team members to follow Target s security processes and treat all guests with respect.
Target is publicly apologizing for its handling of an incident in which three Black teens were detained at the Westlake Village store and eventually released.