A celebrity bodyguard said he was attacked by security at a New York Shop Rite Thursday after he accidentally pocketed a bottle of cold medicine.
Soularis Saunders, a security guard who has worked for celebrities such as rapper Cardi B, said he accidentally pocketed the medicine because his hands were full. While leaving the supermarket, he said a security guard at the Yonkers store confronted him and used excessive force.
“He jumps on me, grabs my pocket, grabs my neck and says ‘come with me,'” Saunders said.
The confrontation occurred as Saunders was greeted by fans who recognized him from various celebrities’ Instagram posts. Video taken by one of the fans shows the two men punching and grabbing one another in the store's entryway.
Shop Rite released a statement saying that "cellphone videos don’t always tell the whole story."
"We have complete surveillance footage of the entire incident and we believe it shows a different story from Mr. Saunders’ description of events and the short video captured by a bystander using a cellphone," the statement said.
Shop Rite declined to show its video to NBC 4 New York.
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Saunders said plans on suing the grocery store because he lost his security license during the scuffle and is still in pain.
"Whether it was a five dollar item or a $500 item, the force they used was not justified," said Francois Annabi, Saunders’ attorney.
