An employee of a Colorado grocery was let go after he caught three individuals robbing the establishment on Father’s Day of laundry detergent valued at about $500.
When Santino Burrola, a King Soopers employee, learned that a theft was happening in the shop, his first thought was to take out his phone and record it.
“When I looked there was already a guy halfway headed out with a food cart full of laundry detergents and scent boosters and what have you,” Burrola told CBS Colorado. “My first instinct, record.”
The three burglars hurried to load up a black Chevy Trax as Burrola, a former military police officer, went out of the store. One opened the doors, another threw a basket full of goods into the back seat, and a third struggled to unload the full shopping cart.
“Really bro you got to resort to this? The economy isn’t that bad,” Burrola could be heard in the now-viral video shared by the Arapahoe Sheriff’s Office.
“Better gettin while the gettin’s good,” Burrola jokes at the men.
The getaway driver was a little quicker than the two who were still outside the car, who had problems getting inside the vehicle, as the three stooges attempted to depart from the parking lot.
Burrola was able to pull off the foil covering the license plate as a result.
Burrola phoned the police after the men got into the car and drove away from the scene, and later posted the video to social media to aid the investigation.
“So I posted it on TikTok hoping that somebody would recognize them,” said Burrola about the video that was seen 1.5 million times, including by rapper Snoop Dogg.
“Me and the union rep sat down with them and they recommended termination,” Burrola said. “I would never let any criminal conduct slide especially when it’s happening right in front of me.”
Burrola says he didn’t break any rules nor touch the theives, all he was doing was trying to help the community.
“Did I feel that I overstepped boundaries? Not really because I didn’t physically touch them or alter their shoplifting in any way, I just revealed the license plate to help the community to be aware, the police be aware and to help better catch them,” Burrola told 9News.
“Investigators have already identified and arrested the driver, Jorge Pantoja, 32, the man in the green shirt,” the Arapahoe Sherriff’s Office said in a statement. “Pantoja is currently in custody at the Adams County Detention Facility on unrelated felony charges. He has also been charged with Theft/Shoplifting, a Class 2 Misdemeanor.”
Police are still searching for the two passengers after the driver was arrested on an unrelated felony and also was charged with a misdemeanor in the theft.
During their investigation, police contacted the registered owner of the vehicle who loaned the car to a friend and the driver was later found.
“The driver was then contacted, arrested, and stated he picked up two other males at the Light Rail station at I-25 and Belleview and offered them an opportunity to make some money. The men told the driver their names were Robert and Bugsy,”
The other two thieves are still on the loose, but investigators are aware of their first names as Robert and Bugsy.
The supermarket chain found around the Rocky Mountains is a subsidy of The Kroger Company, which Burrola says has a policy against employees chasing or intervening in a theft.
“We are disappointed by the increased level of crime across retail establishments and the impact these incidents have on our associates and customers. We remain committed to working in partnership with local law enforcement to address this issue, as safety remains a top priority,” King Soopers said in a statement to CBS Colorado.
“We have security measures in place to help prevent crime and de-escalate 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 safe return home,” the statement concluded.
Following his termination from the store, Burrola posted a follow-up video to TikTok where he held an impromptu press conference to ask and answer his own questions.
