
Security guard indicted for choking, punching 11-year-old shoplifter
A security guard at a clothing store in Boston has been indicted for choking and punching an 11-year-old girl who was shoplifting.
A grand jury returned indictments on Tuesday charging 36-year-old Mohammad Khan of Cambridge, Massachusetts, and his New Jersey-based employer, Securitas Security Services, with one count each of of assault and battery on a child under 14 as well as civil rights violations, according to a press release from the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office.
The alleged incident happened on June 9 at a Primark store on Summer Street in downtown Boston. Khan, a special police officer, is accused of using “excessive and unreasonable force” to detain the girl, who had admitted taking an estimated $175 worth of clothing, the district attorney’s office said.
He allegedly grabbed the girl, pulled her back into the store and pushed her into a corner, blocking the view of the CCTV security camera. He then allegedly grabbed her by the head and neck and threw her to the ground, punched her in the face while straddling her as she was on the floor over the course of more than seven minutes, according to the district attorney’s office.
Khan allegedly reengaged in struggling with the girl even after being separated from her by police officers. Coworkers and onlookers had also urged him to stop, the district attorney’s office said.
The alleged incident was captured in part on video by a witness and later shared on social media.
