Pregnant shopper says Target called police after shouting match over beauty coupon
A pregnant woman says Colorado police “violated me as a human” during a pat-down after a shouting match at Target over a coupon.
In a street video shot Friday outside a Target in Briarwood Circle, Aurora, police officers pat down Jazzmin Downs while she screams, “I’m pregnant! I’m four months pregnant! Stop squishing my stomach! I’m scared.”
According to Denver television station 9 News, Downs tried to pay for hair products using a $1.50 Dove coupon; however, a Target employee wouldn’t accept it.
Admitting that the conversation got loud, Downs, 25, says she attempted to speak with a manager, who allegedly refused to look at the coupon. Downs was asked to leave the store, and the police were called.
“Now I have to deal with the fact that this happened and be constantly reminded that my rights as a human were taken away for no reason and that it’s all over social media,” Downs told 9 News.
Downs stood outside calling Target’s corporate offices, and encountered five police officers.
At an officer’s orders, Downs removed her hand from her pocket and was told she would be searched for a gun.
"You’re making me nervous when you reach inside your pocket like that,” an officer was recorded telling Downs on the Facebook video posted by Tiffany Goodloe.
“All I want is an answer as to why they did what they did," Downs told 9 News. "They violated me as a human. They violated me as a mother. They violated me as a pregnant woman. They violated me just in general for no reason, and they had no explanation but ‘we were in fear of you’ or ‘you made me nervous.’”
A spokesperson for the Aurora Police Department tells Yahoo Lifestyle, “The department received a call of an irate guest who swung at the manager and she could be heard yelling in the background while the reporting party was on the phone. Her behavior in the store was such that other customers walked away or stopped what they were doing to see what the commotion was about.”
Officers eventually determined that Downs did not try to hit the manager and “do not know why the person calling said that.” Downs is banned from the store for one year, per a Trespass Notice, however she was not charged with a crime.
Target tells Yahoo Lifestyle in a statement, “This weekend, a guest was shopping in our Aurora store and wanted to use photocopies of coupons for her purchase. Based on Target’s coupon policy, we don’t accept coupons that are copied. We explained the policy to our guest, and she became angry and aggressive toward our team members. As a result, the store team felt unsafe and called the Aurora Police Department. Law enforcement was not called because of the coupons.”
The statement continues: “It’s always our intention to deescalate a situation without involving law enforcement, but we also empower our stores to call for assistance if they feel unsafe. We regret that this situation escalated; it’s not the experience we want any guests to have in our stores.”
Yahoo Lifestyle could not reach Downs for comment.
Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:
Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.
