Supermarket Employee Fired For Filming 3 Men Stealing Laundry Detergent
By Jason Hall
July 6, 2023
A supermarket employee in Colorado was fired after recording a video of three men stealing an estimated $500 worth of laundry detergent from his place of employment on Father's Day.
Santino Burrola, who worked at King Soopers in Arapahoe County, was notified of the theft as it took place and decided to record it on his phone.
“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 former military police officer captured the three thieves quickly loading the items into the trunk and back seat of a black Chevrolet Trax in the video.
Arapahoe Sheriff Investigators are asking for the public’s help in identifying two shoplifters in this viral video being shared on social media. Investigators have already identified and arrested the driver, Jorge Pantoja, 32, the man in the green shirt. 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 Investigators are still trying to identify the other two men in the video, both white males wearing blue shirts and jeans. One of them goes by Robert, he has dark brown hair, a mustache and wears glasses. The other goes by the name Bugsy and is wearing a blue shirt with a Superman logo and a baseball cap. Investigators say the theft happened on June 18, 2023, around 6:40 p.m. The suspects stole approximately $400-$500 worth of laundry detergent and Downy Unstopables from the King Soopers grocery store at 5050 E. Arapahoe Rd. in Centennial. Investigators located the registered owner of the vehicle who stated he loaned the car to a friend. 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 person who shot the video posted it to Instagram and the Sheriff’s Office was made aware of it when it was sent to us the next day. Investigators also want to speak with the person who filmed the theft. The video currently has millions of views and has been posted and shared on social media by celebrities such as Snoop Dogg, a rapper/actor with more than 80 million Instagram followers. If you think you can identify the other two men in the video, please contact our Investigations Tipline at 720-874-8477 or email evancleave@arapahoegov.com. More photos and information here: https://www.arapahoegov.com/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=3049
Posted by Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office on Wednesday, June 28, 2023
“Really bro you got to resort to this? The economy isn’t that bad,” Burrola was heard saying in the video, which has since gone viral after being shared by the Arapahoe Sheriff’s Office.
“Better gettin while the gettin’s good,” he joked.
The three suspects then attempted to flee the scene, at which point Burrola ripped a sheet of foil covering the getaway car's license plate. He then called the police and later shared the footage of the incident on his TikTok account.
“So I posted it on TikTok hoping that somebody would recognize them,” said Burrola about the video, which already has more than 1.5 million views.
Burrola said he was notified that he was suspended from the supermarket during his next shift and terminated a week later.
“Me and the union rep sat down with them and they recommended termination,” Burrola said via CBS Colorado. “I would never let any criminal conduct slide especially when it’s happening right in front of me.”
Burrola claims he didn't break any rules nor touch the thieves during the incident and was, instead, attempting 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.
Police said the driver of the vehicle, identified as Jorge Pantoja, 32, was arrested on an unrelated felony and charged with theft/shoplifting (Class 2 Misdemeanor) in relation to the incident, while the other two passengers are still at large.