Veteran defends recording shoplifters after being fired from grocery store
Santino Burrola defends filming the crime after being fired from a Colorado King Soopers, telling 'Fox & Friends' his motto is 'always do the right thing.'
An Army veteran fired from a Colorado grocery store for filming shoplifters says he would do it again because it was the "right thing" to do.
King Soopers employee Santino Burrola filmed three men loading $500-worth of stolen laundry detergent into a vehicle on Father's Day. As the suspects drove off, Burrola removed a piece of aluminum foil covering the vehicle's license plate, which helped law enforcement identify and apprehend the driver.
Burrola was then fired for supposedly violating the store’s policies against chasing after thieves or intervening in a theft.
TERRIFYING GAS STATION ROBBERY CAUGHT ON CAMERA
Colorado King Soopers employee Santino Burrola films himself peeling aluminum foil off the license plate of three shoplifting suspects. The Army veteran was fired following the incident for allegedly violating store policy. (Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office)
"I felt I was doing the right thing and the union had my back on that," Burrola said on "Fox & Friends" Friday, adding he "most definitely" would do the same thing again because of his values.
The former military police officer told "Jesse Watters Primetime" Thursday a higher up asked him to go get the license plate number of the vehicle. Burrola then approached the vehicle with his phone recording, playfully taunting the thieves but not physically engaging with them.
"Look at them stealing," he says off-camera. "Really bro? You gotta resort to this? Economy’s not that bad."
Arapahoe Sheriff Department Investigator Erik Vancleave said Thursday Burrola's quick actions in removing the license plate covering "immensely helped" getting 32-year-old driver Jorge Pantoja into custody. The two other suspects remain at large.
King Soopers, which is a subsidy of the Kroger Company, told CBS Colorado it has "security measures in place to help prevent crime and deescalate such confrontations to minimize the risk to our associates."
"While we are unable to comment on personnel matters, we value our hardworking associates and their return home," the company said.
King Soopers did not return a request for further comment.
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Burrola said he is currently planning on moving to Florida and there has been a GoFundMe set up by a relative to help him relocate.
"Always do the right thing," Burrola concluded. "Integrity. Even when nobody's looking, are you going to do the right thing?"
Fox News' Bradford Betz contributed to this report.
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