The family of an alleged shoplifter is seeking $20 million in damages from a security company for the drowning death of Tavon Talley two years ago outside a mall in the Baltimore suburbs, the Annapolis Capital reported Friday evening.
According to court documents, Mr. Talley stumbled into a stormwater retention pond near Arundel Mills Mall after being chased by security guards and the manager of the Zumiez skate shop.
According to the family’s court filing, the manager and the guards “began to joke among themselves that Tavon was fish food and or crab bait” and didn’t render assistance to help him as he flailed in the water and went under.
A rescue crew that responded to the drowning was unable to revive Mr. Talley at the scene.
Mall policy forbids guards or store employees from chasing down suspects and requires mall security to promptly alert county police to shoplifting suspects. According to the court filing, the guards did not alert police until their supervisor arrived on the scene of the drowning.
The Capital reached out to Valor Security subsidiary Mydatt Services and to the attorney for Zumiez store manager Bethany Brafa, another defendant in the case. Both declined to comment.
• Ken Shepherd can be reached at kshepherd@washingtontimes.com.
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