#Nike is apologizing to a California family after they were accused of stealing a $12 basketball they had just purchased from a Nike store in #SantaMonica.
The parents involved say they purchased the basketball for their 18-month-old son who fell in love with the toy. The boy’s father Joel Stallworth even recorded the precious moment for his son Sammy.
But when they left the store, they were approached by a white store manager and two police officers who accused them of stealing the ball, @nbcnews reports. The whole incident was captured on video by the mother, Tamiya Dickerson.
Now Nike promises to investigate the matter and has since fired the store manager as a result of the video going viral. “We are taking the recent situation at our Santa Monica store very seriously, and we are currently investigating the facts. We have reached out to the family to express our deepest apologies, and we will continue to work with our teams to ensure we deliver on our expectations for consumer experiences.”
In the video, the parents can be heard asking the officers why they assumed the ball was stolen.
The couple then showed the officers their receipt, and later returned the ball for a full refund after letting the store manager know she was wrong for accusing them of stealing.
“This is ridiculous,” Dickerson says in the video. “We purchased this basketball in the store.”
The couple has hired an attorney saying they were racially profiled.
Santa Monica police did not immediately return NBC News’ request for comment on the incident.
Stallworth and Dickerson said in the press release that the incident was humiliating.
“She had zero evidence that I stole anything. She couldn’t have evidence because I bought it. She discriminated against me,” Stallworth told KTLA station in Los Angeles. “She planted an evil seed in the officer, so as soon as the officer came up to me, he said, ‘Sir, give me the stolen ball.'”
You can watch the encounter below:
We will keep you updated on this story, Roommates.
