Army veteran fired for filming shoplifters – Law Officer

An Army veteran fired from a Colorado grocery store for filming shoplifters says he would do it again because it was the “right thing” to do.

King Soopers employee Santino Burrola filmed three men loading $500-worth of stolen laundry detergent into a vehicle on Father’s Day. As the suspects drove off, Burrola removed a piece of aluminum foil covering the vehicle’s license plate, which helped law enforcement identify and apprehend the driver according to Fox News. 

Burrola was then fired for supposedly violating the store’s policies against chasing after thieves or intervening in a theft.

The former military police officer told “Jesse Watters Primetime” Thursday a higher up asked him to go get the license plate number of the vehicle. Burrola then approached the vehicle with his phone recording, playfully taunting the thieves but not physically engaging with them.

“Look at them stealing,” he says off-camera. “Really bro? You gotta resort to this? Economy’s not that bad.”

Arapahoe Sheriff Department Investigator Erik Vancleave said Thursday Burrola’s quick actions in removing the license plate covering “immensely helped” getting 32-year-old driver Jorge Pantoja into custody.

The two other suspects remain at large.