A 225-pound security guard has been indicted for allegedly pummeling an 11-year-old girl who confessed to stealing from a Boston clothing store.
Mohammed Khan, of Cambridge, Massachusetts, used excessive and unreasonable force while restraining the girl after she admitted to stealing about $175 of merchandise from Primark on June 9, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office announced Wednesday.
The 6-foot-1 Khan — who had allegedly been reprimanded on four previous occasions for using more force in his role than allowed – is accused of pulling the girl back into the store before tossing her to the ground, straddling her and punching her in the face.
Footage of the incident posted to Facebook in June shows Khan, 36, atop the girl as shocked shoppers look on and said “don’t hit her,” video shows.
Khan’s excessive force continued for more than seven minutes and he even re-engaged with the girl after Boston police responded to the store and separated the pair, prosecutors said.
“All of this was done even though Khan was under explicit orders not to touch any customer, including suspected shoplifters,” District Attorney Rachael Rollins’ office said in a statement.
Coworkers and nearby witnesses also urged Khan to stop during the alleged assault. Khan and his New Jersey-based employer, Securitas Security Services USA Inc., were both charged with assault and battery on a child under 14, prosecutors said.
The girl, meanwhile, could not be charged with shoplifting under state law due to her age.
Khan and Securitas are scheduled to be arraigned on Dec. 17.
A woman who answered the phone at a number listed for Khan hung up when reached by The Post and a message seeking comment from Securitas was not immediately returned.
The girl’s grandmother told WHDH that while she knows her granddaughter was in the wrong, Khan had no right putting his hands on the little girl.
“Her eye was swollen, her lips were swollen, you know?” Taffey Roberson told the station. “He blacked her eye, she had gashes on her arms. It was horrific for her.”