1:14 pm, February 16th, 2013
Forest Whitaker says he was falsely accused of shoplifting at a New York City deli on Friday and humiliated with a frisking in front of other customers.
A store employee reportedly accused the Oscar winner of stealing an item from the shelf at Milano Market, and then allegedly patted down Whitaker in full view of fellow patrons.
When the search revealed that Whitaker had not swiped anything, the upset star left the establishment.
“This was an upsetting incident given the fact that Forest did nothing more than walk into the deli,” his rep tells TMZ. “What is most unfortunate about this situation is the inappropriate way store employees are treating patrons of their establishment.”
According to the rep, “Forest did not call the authorities at the request of the worker who was in fear of losing his employment. Forest asked that, in the future, the store change their behavior and treat the public in a fair and just manner.”
The store has not commented.
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