Police investigate after ‘rangers’ employed by local business group are accused of ‘assaulting’ black 15-year-old teenager in a Superdrug ‘while he shopped for shampoo’
- Video show two security guards pinning a 15-year-old black boy to the ground
- The incident happened in Superdrug’s Chichester branch earlier today
- ** Did you witness the incident or do you know the security guards involved? Email [email protected] **
Two street ‘rangers’ working for a local business group have been accused of assaulting a black 15-year-old teenager in a Superdrug store.
The boy, whose mother Kirsty Buchanan is a former Number 10 aide, was forcibly detained by the two men on the floor of the shop in Chichester, West Sussex.
Footage released by Ms Buchanan on Twitter showed the two men holding the teenager on the ground while they handcuffed him before the arrival of police.
Sussex Police are now investigating and said a 15-year-old boy from Worthing and a 16-year-old boy from Chichester were arrested on suspicion of assault. Superdrug revealed female staff were assaulted and the store had to be shut due to damage.
The two men are ‘rangers’ for the Chichester Business Improvement District, which has said they work in partnership with the city council and act as ‘the eyes and ears on the street and a reassuring presence for those in the front line of petty crime’.
This is the shocking moment two civilian security guards detain a 15-year-old black boy in a Sussex supermarket
Sussex Police said they arrested two boys aged 15 and 16 on suspicion of assault at the Chichester branch of Superdrug
Ms Buchanan claimed to the Daily Mirror that the rangers were aggressive towards her son and his friends, saying: ‘What I have been told is the ranger pushed him and my son pushed back.
‘He was then slam dunked to the floor and sat on top of him as you see in the video and they put plastic handcuffs on him – the police then arrived and arrested my son.’
Ms Buchanan, who was once political editor at the Sunday Express and is also a former adviser to Theresa May and Liz Truss, said she did not hear from her son for an hour and a half as he was being held at Worthing Police Station.
She added: ‘The rangers that threw him to the ground have gone home to have tea.’
Ms Buchanan said her son has regularly experienced racist incidents and has been stopped and searched many times.
A Sussex Police spokesman told MailOnline: ‘We are aware of a video circulating on social media of a teenager being detained by civilian security staff in Chichester this afternoon (22 March).
‘Police were called to the store in East Street shortly after 3.30pm to reports of a group of teenagers involved in an altercation.
The boy’s mother, Kirsty Buchanan said the security guards ‘dunked’ her son to the ground before restraining his arms with plastic handcuffs
A spokesperson for Superdrug confirmed an incident happened in their Chichester store, pictured. They said a female staff member was allegedly assaulted
‘A shop worker also reported being assaulted. Officers attended the scene and three teenagers had been detained by civilian security staff.
‘A 15-year-old boy from Worthing and a 16-year-old boy from Chichester were arrested by police on suspicion of assault.
‘They remain in police custody pending urgent enquiries, supported by appropriate adults. Enquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances of what happened.’
A spokesman for Superdrug told MailOnline: ‘An incident occurred today in our Chichester store between Chichester BID Rangers and a group of young males they were monitoring.
‘Unfortunately, female staff were also assaulted. This is now a police matter, and we are offering our full assistance to Sussex Police.
‘Our priority is always to keep our colleagues and customers safe, we have a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to violence and aggression. The store remains closed due to damage caused.’
** Did you witness the incident or do you know the security guards involved? Email [email protected] **
