King Soopers employee, Santino Burrola, fired after recording shoplifters

A Colorado supermarket employee was fired after he recorded three men stealing approximately $500 worth of laundry detergent from the store on Father’s Day.

Santino Burrola, the King Soopers employee, was alerted to a theft in progress at the store and the first thing he thought to do was pull 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.”

As Burrola, a former military police officer, walked out of the store, the three thieves hurried to load up a black Chevy Trax, one opening the doors, another throwing a basket full of items into the back seat, and another struggling 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 joked to the men.

As the three stooges attempted to flee the parking lot, the getaway driver was a little faster than the two still outside the car, who had trouble getting into the vehicle.

That allowed Burrola to yank a sheet of foil covering the license plate.

After the men got into the car and left the area, Burrola called the police, later sharing the video to social media, which helped out the investigators.

“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.

When Burrola returned to the store for his next shift, he learned he had been suspended, and a week later was fired.

“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 said he didn’t break any rules or touch the thieves — 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 charge 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.

The supermarket chain around the Rocky Mountains is a subsidy of the Kroger Company, which Burrola said has a policy against employees chasing thieves 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.

“I was limited to my abilities due to the fact that I was employed there,” Burrola answered on why he didn’t “deck” the thieves.

Burrola said he received “racists comments” on the video but said, “I didn’t see color when I confronted them, I’ve seen criminals, white, black, brown, purple, it didn’t matter, a crime was being committed and wrong is wrong and a crime is a crime.”

“Let me tell you something, if something is happening right in front of me, I’m gonna make it my business,” Burrola concluded.

Burrola’s family created a GoFundMe for the fired worker to recover lost wages

“He was not given severance pay and was planning to move to Florida to be closer to family. This loss of position has put a hold on plans and has made him fall behind in a couple of bills,” the GoFundMe states.

King Soopers’ decision to fire Burrola left many outraged under the GoFundMe page, where some even praised Burrola for his quick thinking.

“Sorry to read you were fired recording these losers thinking they could just go in and steal. Good for you though,” one comment read.

“It is completely absurd that this dedicated employee, who was clearly doing his job in trying to protect his stores merchandise and assist the police in arresting these thieves, was fired due to the insane regulations these corporations have created regarding retail theft,” another commenter added.

“I can understand the ‘do not physically engage’ rule in order to prevent employees or innocent bystanders from being hurt, but the action this employee took was assisting the business, the community, and the police. He did not deserve to be fired by any means.”

In May, two Georgia Lululemon employees were fired after they called the police on three masked men who returned to the Atlanta store after already stealing from the location several times before.

“We have a zero-tolerance policy that we train our educators on around engaging during a theft,” Lululemon CEO Calvin McDonald said after the two employees were fired.