A man who allegedly tried to steal a candy bar at a Brooklyn 7-Eleven in October 2012 is suing the food chain and landlords of its Flatbush location, claiming he suffered “emotional distress” stemming from the incident, Courthouse News Service reports.
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A YouTube video shows store clerks restraining David Golson (pictured left of center), who had allegedly stolen a Snickers bar. They eventually strip him to his boxers. He can be heard denying the stealing accusations, repeatedly yelling, “I don’t have nothin’!” The man filming the video seems to disagree with the clerks’ methods, saying, “You are attacking him.”
Watch Golson’s struggle with 7-Eleven clerks here:
The lawsuit claims that Golson sustained a “violent, unprovoked and widely publicized assault by … three employees, who beat, stripped, bit and restrained plaintiff, accusing him of stealing goods while he screamed that he was innocent.”
It also charges that their level of aggression was not in line with what he reportedly stole, saying, “employees intentionally, brutally and violently assaulted plaintiff in a manner completely disproportionate to what they were accusing, him of: stealing a candy bar.”
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“Despite his repeated requests to be released and his claims of innocence, defendants through its employees pulled, hit, bit and stripped plaintiff of almost all of his clothes with the exception of his underpants, shoes and socks,” the suit continues.
Video from the incident quickly went viral and made its way to media outlets including the New York Daily News, Huffington Post and ABC News. Golson claims he “suffered bruising, bite marks and was caused physical pain” from the event. His suit adds that the video has caused further harm:
“The media attention resulting from the extensive coverage of the incident and the widespread dissemination of images showing plaintiff stripped almost naked have caused plaintiff to suffer severe humiliation, mental anguish and emotional distress from which he may never recover.”
The Bronx native seeks damages for assault and battery, prima facie tort, negligence and respondeat superior.
