Shoplifting suspect dragged though Visalia supermarket by security guards, bystander's video shows

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Sunday, December 20, 2020
Shoplifting suspect dragged though Visalia store by employees
A bystander's video shows two supermarket employees dragging a shoplifting suspect through a Visalia store.

VISALIA, Calif. (KABC) -- A bystander's dramatic video shows two security guards dragging a woman suspected of shoplifting through a WinCo Foods supermarket in Visalia.

The woman and a man who was with her allegedly stole some expensive tequila, then got into an altercation with security personnel in front of the store, the Visalia Police Department told KMPH-TV.

"She was screaming really loud," Marvin Lopez Rangel, a witness who recorded the incident, said of the woman who was dragged. "She was pleading for help. It sounded like she was actually in pain."

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Both suspects were arrested on suspicion of robbery and conspiracy and booked into the Tulare County Jail, police said. They were identified as 27-year-old Victoria Vargas and 25-year-old Raul Luna.

"There has to be a certain level of decency that we shall treat all people," said Rangel, who believes the security guards overreacted. "WinCo was not being that -- definitely not."

WinCo did not immediately respond when contacted by KMPH with a question about the company's policy when dealing with shoplifting.