VIDEO: Black Family Accuses Nike Store Manager Of Racial Profiling After Accusation Of Shoplifting

The manager of a Nike store is now being investigated by the company for racial profiling after a confrontation with customers.

A black couple was shopping at a Nike store in Santa Monica, California, when the store manager confronted them about stealing. The store manager, a white woman, accused Joel Stallworth and TaMiya Dickerson of stealing a basketball they bought for their 19-month-old son, Samuel. Dickerson had also recorded the confrontation while she was filming the day with her son.

The video shows the family shopping around the store, enjoying the sight of Samuel playing with his “first basketball.” However, things turned contentious when the manager followed and stopped them as they were exiting the store, flagging down a police cruiser that was nearby. In turn, Stallworth and Dickerson repeatedly tell the officers and manager that the ball was paid for, producing the receipt to prove it.

“This is what happens to us all the time,” Dickerson tells one officer during the video.

Because of the confrontation, the couple demanded a refund for the ball and apology. And while it hasn’t been confirmed if the store manager apologized for the confrontation, they did return the ball for their refund.

“We are taking the recent situation at our Santa Monica store very seriously, and we are currently investigating the facts,” Nike spokesperson KeJuan Wilkins wrote in a statement. “We have reached out to the family to express our deepest apologies, and we will continue to work with our teams to deliver on our expectations for consumer experiences.”