WARNING: Video in the player above contains graphic language.
SPRINGDALE, Ohio -- Phone video of a confrontation between a man who identifies himself as Carlos and a Tri-County Mall security guard has been viewed on Facebook hundreds of thousands of times since Tuesday evening.
The 12-minute video shows the guard swearing at Carlos and threatening to break his phone for not complying.
"You were sagging your pants," the guard says. "I had to ask you three times (to pull them up)."
Carlos admits to wearing his pants low in the video, but he claims that he pulled them up when requested and that he shouldn't be "harassed."
A female bystander defends Carlos in the video, saying, "Well, he pulled them up!"
"That's not the point. I had to ask him more than once, and he refused," the guard responded. "You just don’t like authority, and I’m an authority."
The Tri-County Mall Code of Conduct doesn't contain language specifically stating a dress code, but it does prohibit "any activity that disrupts our pleasant, family-oriented shopping environment."
The mall released the following statement Thursday afternoon:
"The security officer in question approached the patron to address a violation of the mall’s dress code policy. In the course of the interaction, the security officer conducted himself in a manner that does not meet the standards Tri-County Mall requires of its security personnel.
The security officer was suspended immediately. As of Wednesday morning, May 4, that security officer is no longer employed by the third-party security company, and is no longer affiliated with Tri-County Mall.
We commit to our loyal patrons and to our surrounding communities that we will continue to be a safe, family-friendly and welcoming shopping destination."
WCPO has reached out to those involved in this story and will publish more details as they become available.
