A California man says he's being punished for his good deed, after he lost his job for helping police catch a wanted man.
The security employee, who has asked only to be identified as Tyler, worked at a Best Buy store in Roseville, California until earlier this month. Police say he chased a man who had allegedly punched a police officer out of the store.
Tyler, who told Fox 40 that he was an Army veteran, actually managed to tackle the suspect, and hold him down until Placer County sheriff's deputies could make an arrest.
"He started running past me and I thought I was doing the right thing by stopping him," Tyler said.
Security Guard Fired after Stopping SuspectAlthough he knew there could be consequences, a Best Buy security guard didn't think twice before jumping in to help deputies by tackling a fleeing suspect. He was later fired from his job: http://via.fox40.com/qHofX
Posted by FOX40 on Sunday, January 27, 2019
But Best Buy says his actions violated their company policy, because it forbids workers from chasing suspects out of the store.
"I understood that when I went back in there I was going to get into some type of trouble because Best Buy policy says we aren't supposed to touch anybody," Tyler said. But he was still surprised to be let go from the company a week after the incident.
"My manager called me in and said corporate decided to let me go because I used excessive force and it was against Best Buy's policy to intervene," he explained.
"Our policy is clear, employees are not to chase potential criminals outside of the store," the Best Buy told local news station KXTV. "Chasing an individual in the parking lot creates a safety risk that isn't worth taking, regardless of how noble an employee's intention is."
Police say they confronted the suspect, 35-year old Timothy Trujillo, inside the the Best Buy after getting tipped off that he was nearby. Trujillo was wanted on a felony warrant in Nevada.
"Trujillo struck one of the detectives and fled in an attempt to escape. After a short foot pursuit they were able to get Trujillo under control and handcuffed," the sheriff's office said in a statement.
Police say a search of Trujillo's car turned up drugs, stolen property, and burglary tools. He was arrested and charged with assaulting and resisting a police officer, along with possession of the drugs and tools.
The police thanked Tyler for his help in capturing Trujillo, and said they were "grateful he intervened." But Lieutenant Andrew Scott also warned that members of the public should not get involved in police business.
"We don't want to see someone get hurt," he said. "And our deputies are trained to deal with situations like this."
So far, it seems like Tyler is out of a job, as Best Buy has not reconsidered their decision to let him go despite backlash on social media.
But the former security guard, who plans to start college in April, has no regrets about his choice to chase down the suspect.
"Seemed like it was the right thing, like I said it was someone running from the cops, seemed like the logical thing to do."
