A video showing a white man being beaten down by an African American man for allegedly calling him the n-word in a Macy's store in Michigan is being widely circulated on social media. However, the company has released a statement saying that the white man is a store employee who was assaulted by the black man in an "unprovoked" attack.
The brutal beatdown took place on Monday at the Genessee Valley Center mall in Flint Township and video footage shows the white man being knocked to the floor and repeatedly being punched by a black man while another individual filmed the incident.
Macy Says Attack was 'Unprovoked'
The clip was shared on social media claiming the white man was assaulted after he was overheard referring to the black man as a "n----r." After investigating the footage, Macy's has confirmed that the victim worked as an employee at the outlet and that the attack was "unprovoked."
"We are deeply saddened about the incident that took place on Monday at Macy's Genessee Valley, as the safety of Macy's customer and colleagues is our top priority," a Macy's spokesperson told the outlet. "Violence in the workplace of any kind is unacceptable. All the materials from the evening have been reviewed and it is clear that the attack was unprovoked."
Police Looking for Suspects Involved
Flint Township police said they are looking for two men they say were involved in the attack. "We are looking for them as we speak," Lt. Brad Wangler told MLive.com regarding the man who punched the employee and the man who originally posted the video under the username FT Quay. He also posted comments online that the assault on the man was triggered by the man's use of a racial slur.
"It's not something that's been put on the back burner. We want to find out what happened," Wrangler noted. Police responded to the Macy's after getting an assault complaint at about 5:45 p.m. on Monday, police said in a statement on Friday.
"Officers learned an employee of the store was assaulted by a young black male who fled the scene with a second individual after the assault," police said. "Store surveillance video confirmed the assault against the employee. Investigators also learned the assault was recorded by the second individual and shared on social media." The Flint Township police department is now asking the public for help in identifying the suspects and is urging anyone with information about the attack to come forward.
