DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — A trio of Stonecrest Mall security guards have been suspended without pay and banned from the mall after a video circulated online showing the men beating a teenager.
The incident happened at the mall in Lithonia Saturday just before 7 p.m. Mall security was attempting to get a group of teenagers to leave the mall when the security guards began shouting profanities at the group, according to witnesses. When one teenager spoke up, witnesses told DeKalb County police a security guard threw the first punch at the 15-year-old.
The video also depicts another teenager hitting a security guard with a belt. The security guard suffered minor injuries from that attack. The police report indicates the other teen was trying to "defend his friend."
No charges have been filed against anyone involved in the altercation. DeKalb County police tell Channel 2 Action News that detectives may reinterview witnesses during the ongoing investigation.
The identity of the teenager in the video has not been released because he is a minor. The video has been viewed more than 100,000 times since it was posted to Facebook.
“No grown man, especially no security at a known mall, should be jumping kids at all,” said the 20-year-old who shot cellphone video of the incident and asked to remain anonymous.
The teen's mother tells Channel 2 Action News her son had to be hospitalized after the incident, but is fine now. She couldn't comment on whether she plans to take legal action against the mall or Securitas, the employer for the security guards.
Channel 2’s Matt Johnson went to the home of the man accused of throwing the first punch, but he was not home.
Stonecrest Mall management sent Johnson the following statement:
"The Mall at Stonecrest and Securitas, the third party company that provides the mall with security services, is currently working with the DeKalb Police Department while this incident is under investigation. The security officers have been suspended without pay and will no longer work on site at the shopping center. With this being an on-going investigation, we are unable to provide any additional information at this time."