Protesters gathered at a Popeyes restaurant in Prince George’s County, Maryland, following a struggle, which was caught on video, between a security guard and a woman picking up an order.
Black Lives Matter DC said that the Popeyes on Ritchie Station Court in Capitol Heights was shut down Monday and reported that police arrived on the scene during the protest.
This @PopeyesChicken is shut down for today! Corporate we would like to know the Franchise owner of this location to make sure he understand that People with Guns don’t keep Black People safe. Police should not be protecting chicken. FIRE Darrell Marca Poston! #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/qXgnTzzil7
— Black Lives Matter DC (@DMVBlackLives) September 7, 2020
The encounter between the male security guard and the woman happened Saturday.
NBC Washington identifies the delivery driver as Stephanie Samuels and the guard as Darrell Poston.
The woman tried to leave the restaurant out of a different door than the security guard wanted her to use in compliance with the restaurant’s coronavirus protocols; and when she refused, she told NBC Washington that the guard attacked her.
The woman claimed that she was “beat on, handcuffed and maced.” Video shows the officer putting his hands on the woman, who asked diners to call 911. The guard took something out of his pocket and shook it.
The video does not show what he did with the item, but a comment can be heard on the video of someone saying, “He definitely maced her.”
Popeyes released a statement on the incident.
“We have no tolerance for violence in our restaurants and will always act swiftly to deal with it. We have reviewed the available facts with our franchisee and are very concerned by the apparent aggressive actions of the off-duty police officer involved. We will fully cooperate with the local police department and expect that action will need to be taken.”
The woman said that the man was not arrested. NBC Washington reported that police are looking for additional recordings of what happened.
Court records show that the woman has filed a criminal complaint against the security guard.
Below is the area where it happened.
