When you’re out running errands, you never expect someone in a position of authority to just suddenly give you the third degree, especially if you weren’t doing anything but standing around. You hope they’re in that field because they keep their emotions in check. Unfortunately, some don’t. When one man stood outside Food City in Arizona, it didn’t occur to him that it would be enough to pin him as suspicious by a security guard.
“Got harassed by security at Food City today,” the voiceover said in Dat Pham’s TikTok video. A security guard of Food City suddenly emerges from behind the door, wondering when Dat is getting picked up in a very accusatory way. “Why are you hanging around her?” the security guard asks.
“I’m a customer. Do I look homeless to you?” Dat tells the security guard. He explains that he’s simply waiting for his wife to finish shopping. The security guard argues he should’ve told her that. “Why do I have to tell you that?” says back. It is a public place after all, and there’s no need to share that information.
After insisting over and over that this is “my job,” the security guard grabs for Dat’s phone. She gets uncomfortably close to Dat, too. In a follow-up video, Dat got more footage of the security guard obviously invading his space and acting as if Dat is a danger.
In a third and final video, Dat shares that he feels “discriminated by the security.” No one he spoke to, he alleges, was any help. Additionally, he alleges he was offered a “$200 gift card.” He then asks the audience whether he should take it, but notes that it feels “wrong.”
How People Reacted to Dat Pham’s Unjust Treatment
It’s safe to say that not a single person was really on the security guard’s side. She came off as incredibly hostile for no apparent reason. Nothing he was doing seemed suspicious, unless you count people running errands.
One security guard gave their professional advice, stating, “She’s not allowed to put her hands on you!” In fact, she says you’re there to only “observe” and “call the cops if necessary.” Additionally, security guards aren’t “above the law” and shouldn’t use “excessive force.”
Several commenters wrote on the security guard’s performance, arguing that she’s a bad hire. “How did she get this job in the 1st place?” one commenter asked. “They let any ole body be security!” one commenter remarked.
A few commenters suggested legal action. “I hope you sent this footage to corporate. You could have filed a police report for assault,” said one TikTok user. She really shouldn’t be putting her hands on people.
