Woman says she was racially profiled, wrongly accused of stealing, and placed in handcuffs at Victoria's Secret

Sunday, June 10, 2018

COLLIERVILLE, Tennessee -- Victoria's Secret has fired an employee after a customer said she was racially profiled and handcuffed while shopping at a store in Tennessee, WREG-TV reports.

The woman says she went back to the store to have a security sensor removed from a device she had bought earlier.

So, she took it back with the receipt on Monday, explaining what happened.

"She got the receipts out and was able to find the right one and remove the sensor. I told her she could keep the bag there, because I was going to go shopping around the store," Jovita Jones Cage said.

As she was on her way to try the clothes on, she noticed a Collierville Police officer in the store.

"The police officer walked straight up to me and slapped handcuffs on me," she said.

After asking what's going on, she says the officer told her "to put both of my hands behind my back, because I was under arrest for shoplifting."

Cage says the store manager called it in without even speaking to her.

"I think it was for the simple fact that I was black," she said.

As a Howard University graduate and tutor for children, Cage says she was mortified.

"I don't know if one of the parents of the kids I tutor could've been there. I don't know if one of my old professors could've been in there."

She says after aggressively searching her bag and realizing she wasn't shoplifting, the officer walked her out and told her she was banned from the store.

"At this point, I'm traumatized and crying," she said.

Cage made a complaint with the corporate office and said the representative she spoke with apologized and offered her a $100 gift card, which she rejected.

Cage said she also made a complaint to the NAACP about the store and police department.

"They're going to have to do more. I want justice not only for me, but for people everywhere. I hope after this, other victims of racial profiling will come forward," Cage said.

"It's solidarity. It's not just about African Americans. It's about everyone being treated fairly."