A New York couple walked into a Foot Locker for a pair of shoes but never made it past the security guard, who allegedly groped the two men — grabbing one's "nice booty," as he called it, and sticking his finger into the other's belly button.
The "shocked" couple — 38-year-old Christian Leitch, and 47-year-old Brian Williams — ran out of the Manhattan store, but later returned to snap a photo of the aggressive gentleman, whereupon they saw him "literally on top of" another male customer, according to The Independent.
The couple, who were understandably "freaked out" and "flabbergasted," then went home and tried to report the situation to Foot Locker, but their complaint was ignored. The men are now suing the company.
"I contacted Foot Locker that very day, and I did receive an automated reply saying, 'Thank you for your message,' and then nothing else ever happened with it," Williams, a designer who works in sales, told The Independent. "I didn't want to have to take legal action, but here we are."
From The Independent:
The "deeply unsettling and inappropriate encounter" occurred on the afternoon of June 24, 2024, at a Foot Locker in Harlem, according to Leitch and Williams's complaint, which was filed Thursday in New York State Supreme Court by attorney Robert Wisniewski. …
[Williams] said he was browsing the footwear section when [security guard 'John Doe'] made "several inappropriate comments towards me." According to the complaint, Doe told Williams "that he had a nice booty," and "touched him without his consent."
Doe then turned his attention to Leitch, who told The Independent that he was waiting to try on a pair of Nikes when the guard walked over and "pounced on me."
"Without any provocation or justification, John Doe lifted Leitch's shirt and began to touch his stomach and stuck his finger in his belly button, repeating this action twice," the complaint alleges.
"People need to be aware that things like this don't just happen at a club or at a bar," Williams said, via The Independent. "It's happening when you're shopping for a pair of socks."
Previously: Security guard kills teen returning replica gun to sporting goods store
