The general manager of Prince Albert’s Gateway Mall says an incident that saw security guards pin a woman to the ground yesterday is under review.
Video of the encounter is on Facebook and YouTube and shows two male security guards holding a distraught woman on the ground while an angry crowd is telling them to free her.
She is heard crying and telling the crowd, “This guy just attacked me on the sidewalk here”.
Later in the video, one of the onlookers asks the guards, “Does that give you the right to tackle her — just because she’s been here?” One of the guards responds by saying, “I’m doing my job.”
Mall general manager Sharon Faul says the incident occurred around 4 p.m. Monday. Faul says the woman had been repeatedly warned about trespassing, adding she believes the security guards handled the situation properly.
“They were executing their jobs as per their job description,” she says. “At this position, who they are employed by, yes, they were acting within their security role at the centre.”
Police were called during the altercation. The woman was let up off the ground, but fled the scene before police arrived.
Faul says she hasn’t received any complaints about the incident — but she has heard a number of concerns by mall tenants about the potential danger the angry crowd posed to the security guards.
Prince Albert police say they are investigating all aspects of the incident.
Sgt. Brandon Mudry says police were called to the mall over a report of a theft at one of the businesses in the mall.