NORTH MIAMI, FLA. (WSVN) - A store owner was shocked when a customer waved a tire iron at one of his clerks over a dispute involving AirPods, but it’s what a responding Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office deputy did after the owner told the deputy to leave his property that has him demanding accountability.
Speaking with 7News on Tuesday, Dexter Lubin said the irritation began at his Talk 4 Less Wireless store in Northeast Miami-Dade when an angry customer began harassing one of his employees.
“He said that we have an irate customer in here,” said Lubin.
The store owner said the customer was falsely insisting the Apple AirPods he had purchased from the store were fake.
Surveillance footage from behind the counter showed the customer angrily slamming his hands on the counter. When the clerk told him he was wrong, the customer appears to pull out a tire iron.
“I call the police immediately,” said Lubin. “This guy has a tire iron in his hand. There’s a guy with a weapon inside of my business, making threats.”
Lubin said his store clerk told him the angry customer was threatening to smash up the store and shoot him.
“He’s making threats. He says he’ll bust everything up in the store, and he’s ready to have a shootout with the store manager,” said Lubin.
No gun was pulled, and the livid customer luckily left to get his receipt.
After the man left the business, Lubin’s store clerk quickly locked the door until authorities arrived.
According to Lubin, when deputies showed up, instead of detaining the man for threatening his employee, they brought the man back into the store.
“He goes back outside to bring the guy who was waving the weapon back inside of my business,” said Lubin.
Deputies then questioned his employee.
“The first question the police asked him is, ‘Where are the AirPods? Are they fake?'” said Lubin.
“How can they confirm that it’s fake?” the deputy is heard asking the clerk. “Are they fake or no?”
Lubin rushed over to his business to speak with the deputies, whom he questioned for not arresting the customer that was threatening his employee with a weapon inside of his store.
“Why didn’t you question this guy about the weapon he had?” said Lubin.
The fed-up business owner then told one of the deputies to leave.
“Get out!” Lubin is heard shouting at one deputy.
When Lubin requested a supervisor, surveillance video from outside of the store appeared to show the deputy giving him the finger through the doorway.
“As the sergeant is walking inside to my business to speak with me, the other female officer who I dismissed out of my business gives me the middle finger,” said Lubin. “She stuck the middle finger at me. I was really taken aback by that.”
Lubin told 7News the act was rude and disrespectful.
“One hundred percent insulted,” said Lubin.
The unprofessional act is one of several reasons why Lubin filed a six-page formal complaint with MDSO.
“Those officers need to be taken off the street and sent back into training before they are allowed back on the job,” said Lubin.
MDSO released a statement on the incident with 7News.
“There is an open and active internal affairs investigation of the incident.”
The investigation appeared to begin on Tuesday after investigators were seen returning to Lubin’s store.
Lubin said the sergeant he spoke with later apologized for the actions of one of her deputies.
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