Convenience Store Owner Calls Cops On Unruly Customer, Ends Up Getting Arrested

(ash)

The owner of a Chevron gas station and convenience store in Georgia says that when she called the cops to handle an allegedly rude and unruly customer, things got turned around on her and she ended up being the one in cuffs — all because she couldn’t figure out how to operate the security camera system.

The incident actually occurred back in 2008 and has since been the subject of a criminal trial and an ongoing civil case.

During a brief gasoline shortage, the owner says that one customer refused to believe her that the station’s pumps were dry. The customer would not leave and allegedly insulted the owner.

But when police arrived, the customer told officers that she had been slapped by the owner and had been on the receiving end of racial slurs.

Police asked the owner if they could look at the security camera footage. She says she tried but did not know how to operate the recording system. The only person who did, said the owner, was her son. Unfortunately, he was in school at the time and had his phone off.

“He said I need to get him here now or else,” the owner testified about one officer’s demand that her son come to the store immediately. “I asked him if he was threatening me? And he said, ‘No, I’m arresting you.'”

The owner was charged with disorderly conduct and misdemeanor battery. She was later acquitted in a trial. In February, a U.S. District Court judge ruled that the police lacked probable cause for arresting her.

This Atlanta Journal-Constitution article about the case also includes some interesting details about another person who claims to have been wrongfully arrested by the same officer.

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.