Whole Foods guard suspended after allegedly slamming shopper

A security guard for Whole Foods Market in Oakland has been suspended after a violent incident allegedly took place Thursday night between the guard and a shopper, a Whole Foods spokesperson said.

Whole Foods officials tweeted at 11:24 a.m. this morning that a guard, who works at the store at 230 Bay Place, has been suspended and the company is investigating the incident with its security firm.

A person claiming to be a witness to the incident said in a Facebook post that the guard slammed the shopper repeatedly against concrete pillars, put the person in a chokehold, restrained him and threw him face down on the pavement.

The witness said the person was trying to buy groceries with an electronic benefit transfer card, which provides people with food stamp benefits.

Whole Foods spokesperson Beth Krauss said:

“While we move swiftly to gather the facts, we want to make it clear that Whole Foods Market takes a zero tolerance approach to violence.”