CVS Employee Brawls With Customer in Chicago Store, Video Shows

Footage of a CVS employee punching a customer out of his store after the man took a swing at him following a dispute has gone viral online.

The 42-second clip, which is believed to have been filmed at a store in Chicago, appears to have been filmed by a bystander as the worker repeatedly hits the customer, driving him back out through the doors and into the street outside. The footage was uploaded on video-sharing site TikTok before being shared on social media site X (formerly known as Twitter) on Sunday, although it is unclear when the incident occurred or why it took place.

The altercation comes as the city remains in the grip of a years-long crime wave. Former Mayor, Lori Lightfoot, a Democrat who took office in 2019, has faced criticism over her handling of the situation and was replaced as Mayor by Brandon Johnson in March, who has vowed to improve public safety. But Chicago is not the only city battling crime on its streets and in its stores; cities across the U.S. have been struggling to deal with a spike in thefts and violence against store staff, driven by organized retail crime and a current trend for "flash mob" or "street takeover" shoplifting sprees.

Nevertheless, it is unclear what sparked the violence at the CVS store featured in the footage.

A TikTok account named @locos.chicago has been credited with originally sharing the clip, and it was also posted on X by an account called Citizen Free Press, where it has been watched by more than 36,600 viewers.

As the video begins, a worker and a customer are facing each other by a display of bottled water near the doors. A dispute already appears to be underway, which is presumably why the bystander began filming. The CVS worker, dressed in his uniform, which bears a heart on the back of his shirt, is holding back a man with his left arm while he bends to pick up something from the floor. He pushes it into the man's chest, which is when the customer aims a punch at his face but misses as the worker veers backwards.

The employee then rushes at the customer and begins repeatedly punching him as he drives him out of the store. One of the men cries, "Bitch!" during the brief scuffle.

The camera follows the pair outside as the men grunt with exertion, and as the customer staggers backwards, the CVS employee swiftly removes his glasses and puts them in his pocket.

The customer walks back towards the employee and asks him: "What you doing? What you doing?" The worker does not reply, but holds up his fists in a defensive pose.

A woman's voice can then be heard on the video, who is standing out of shot but near the camera.

"Don't do that," she tells the men, saying to the CVS worker: "Don't risk your life for no job!"

At this point, the customer picks up a purple backpack that had been lying on the ground and walks away. The worker appears calm as he returns into the store. In answer to the woman's pleas not to risk his life for his job, he replies, "No, I don't." He then gestures towards the camera and appears to ask the person to stop filming.

It is unclear what sparked the dispute, and Newsweek has reached out to CVS and the Chicago Police Department by email seeking further information and comment.

Earlier this year, the Chicago Police Department revealed statistics comparing crime for the same week in January across the past few years. The figures made for worrying reading, as the city saw a steady and dramatic increase in overall crime. When looking at the week of January 16-22 this year, there were 4,844 crimes (including murders, sexual assaults, robberies and burglaries). The year before in 2022, there had been 3,013 crimes in that particular week, while in 2021 there had been 2,464 crimes during that time frame.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki was even forced to address the crime levels blighting Chicago back in 2021.

"When there's been rising crime rates across the country, including Chicago, for 18 months or more…unfortunately, it's not going to turn on a dime," she said. "We are working with Chicago."