An Asian beauty supply store owner was seen in the video violently attacking the woman, who he claimed was shoplifting from his store.
Now, after reviewing the footage, the NAACP is calling for a boycott of the location.
Details + video below…
Sung Ho Lim, owner of Missha Beauty in West Charlotte, NC, kicked, tackled and choked a woman in his store who he says he caught stealing.
In the raw footage above, you can hear the woman tell Lim repeatedly, “Check my bag. I don’t have anything.”A shoving match begins as Lim blocks her from exiting the store. You then see the two shove each other, at which point Lim said, “You hit me.”
Moments later, Lim kicks the woman, knocks her to the ground and puts her in a choke hold. WBTV showed Lim the video, and he confirmed it is him, but he also said the part when she stole an item is not captured by this video.
“This is my fault,” Lim said. “I have to take the whole video and give it to the police.”
Lim said he is going to provide the security footage in his store to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.
According to a police report which Lim filed for strong armed robbery, the incident happened Thursday. The report says the woman stole eyelashes from the store.
“The female attempted to leave the store, but [Lim] blocked the exit and asked the female to show him what was in her bag since the alarm had gone off. The female refused and a struggle ensued. The female then left the store and fled in a silver dodge sedan,” police say.
Lim has not been charged, and police say the woman “has not been identified or arrested.”
Meanwhile, community leaders and customers who showed up to Missha Beauty Sunday afternoon said they are not satisfied with Lim’s defense.
They said even if the woman stole something, he should not have attacked her like he did.
“When he was choking her, he was almost choking her to death. She was gasping for breath, and he was continually choking her,” said Teresa Mosely. (source)
Members of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg chapter of the NAACP also joined the protest.
Lim met with these protesters and apologized but that did not quell the outrage of his actions.
“I don’t know, it just happened. I went crazy,” Lim said. “No matter what the reason, I feel very sorry to her and to them.”
Lim said he plans to apologize to the woman he choked but many feel that an apology is NOT enough.
Personally, I think the way he treated that woman is indicative of the way society sees Black women.? A Black woman can be disrespected, demeaned and put down and there is always someone there to say that she did something to justify it.
If the tables were turned and that woman was White, she would have never been in the floor in a choke hold.