BOSTON (WHDH) - A Suffolk County Grand Jury has indicted a security services group and a special police officer who choked and punched an 11-year-old girl accused of shoplifting from a store in Boston back in June, officials said.
Mohammad Khan, 36, of Cambridge, and his employer, Securitas Security Services USA Inc., of Parsippany, New Jersey, were charged Tuesday with assault and battery on a child under 14 and one count each of civil rights violations, according to the Suffolk District Attorney’s Office.
On June 9, the 11-year-old shoplifter allegedly admitted to taking several items of clothing from Primark at 10 Summer St. The items were valued to be worth $175.
Khan had pulled the shoplifter back into the store and pushed her into a corner, obstructing the view of a security camera, the DA’s office said.
The 225-pound man, who stands 6-feet, 1-inch tall, proceeded to grab the girl by the head and neck, throw her to the ground, and punch her in the face while straddling her, according to the DA’s office.
Boston police separated the shoplifter from Khan but he allegedly re-engaged in a struggle with her.
The encounter went on for more than seven minutes while Khan’s Securitas co-workers and passersby urged him to stop, according to the DA’s office.
The girl’s grandmother, Taffey Roberson, said, “I know that wasn’t right, what she did. She shouldn’t have been stealing. But no man should be putting hands on an 11-year-old child.”
She added, “Her eye was swollen, her lips were swollen, you know? He blacked her eye, she had gashes on her arms. It was horrific for her.”
Roberson added that her granddaughter was taken to police headquarters following the incident and it was not until the family arrived that she was taken to the hospital.
Primark released a statement that read, “We are aware of indictments in the USA relating to an incident involving a third party security contractor at our Boston store in June 2019. As this is an ongoing criminal matter, it is not appropriate for us to comment.”
Khan had previously been ordered not to touch any customer, including suspected shoplifters.
He has been reprimanded at least four times in the past for using more force than permitted by Securitas and for violating protocol, the DA’s office said.
Securitas Security Services USA Inc. is a subsidiary of Securitas AB — a Swedish-based multi-national corporation with 370,000 employees around the globe, including about 120,000 in North America. It is one of the largest security firms in the nation.
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