A grocery store employee says he was fired after he videotaped a group of shoplifters loading stolen detergent into a car and driving away.
Santino Burrola says he was trying to do the right thing, and for his good deed, he got fired.
"I think it is a little bit ridiculous," a bewildered Burrola told Inside Edition about his termination from a Colorado King Soopers supermarket.
Burrola, who worked as a security guard at the Denver-area store, said he saw a man wheel a grocery cart out of the market filled with about $500 worth of laundry detergent. In the parking lot, he said he took out his cellphone and started filming.
In the video, Burrola can be heard saying, "Really, bro? You gotta resort to this? The economy's not that bad." As the man and his accomplices hastily load their car, Burrola can be seen removing a piece of foil from its license plate.
After the men left, Burrola called authorities and posted his video online, which quickly went viral. Even rap star Snoop Dogg posted it to his 80 million followers.
Burrola said his video led to the arrest of the car's driver.
But the next day, he says, he was suspended from his job for violating store policy against intervening in illegal activity. Then he was fired, he said.
Burrola, a veteran and former Military Police officer, said he was aware that store rules stipulate employees "should not chase after or physically deter them, which in the video I clearly did neither. I was walking, not chasing. Never did I touch them in any way, shape or form," he said.
The internet lit up with support for Burrola. A GoFundMe page sponsored by his cousin has raised more than $24,000 for his lost wages, far exceeding the fundraising goal of $10,000.
A store spokesperson said management does not comment on personnel matters, but added that company guidelines are designed to protect the safety of its employees.
"Being a vet, being a former Military Police officer, I am always going to do the right thing," Burrola said. "Especially if a crime is being done right in front of me."
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