Last October a long, strange and very viral video surfaced showing a group of 7-Eleven employees struggling to subdue a man suspected of shoplifting candy from the 7-Eleven on Flatbush Avenue near the DeKalb subway stop. The prolonged wrangling left the suspect, David Golson, 30, nearly naked. When the police finally arrived he was charged with robbery, assault, criminal mischief and criminal possession of stolen property—but in a classic twist, he's now suing 7-Eleven for causing him emotional distress.
"The employees intentionally, brutally and violently assaulted [Golson] in a manner completely disproportionate to what they were accusing him of: stealing a candy bar,” Golson's lawyer argues in court papers obtained by the Post. "Employees pulled, beat, bit and stripped [Golson] despite his repeated requests to be released and his claims of innocence."
It's unclear whether Golson was convicted—according to the Post the case is still pending. But the pain caused by the viral video documenting his arrest will live on forever. The lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages, argues that the "widespread dissemination of images showing [Golson] stripped almost naked have caused [him] to suffer severe humiliation, mental anguish and emotional distress from which he may never recover."
It's worth noting that the video was not documented by a 7-Eleven employee, and none of the workers involved in subduing Golson were charged. One, however, was fired. As one witness can be heard remarking in the now-infamous video, "This is ridicuous — for some Snickers."
