A 16-year-old boy was handcuffed and taken to the ground after being accused of stealing at a Walmart in Liberty, Missouri.
The Wortuba family was shopping on November 30 when staff alleged that Jeremiah failed to scan a bottle of tea and a piece of candy at self-checkout.
Video posted on TikTok shows his mother, Vaquandra, pleading with an officer to explain what was happening as he escorted Jeremiah toward the front of the store.
Family members shouted in distress before the officer forced the teen to the ground and cuffed him. Vaquandra insisted she had a receipt and said an employee had helped the teens scan their items.
Walmart staff later checked the family’s carts and found about $5 in unpaid items—peppermint sticks and sweet tea—according to a company spokesperson. In a separate video, Vaquandra told officers the teens didn’t realize they were being detained and had not been informed of anything.
An anti-theft employee claimed she saw several children put items in the cart without scanning them, but the family repeatedly urged her to review their receipt.
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