Gas station security guard fired after fending off drunk customer with pepper spray, BB gun and baton
A security guard at a gas station in Albuquerque, N.M., was arrested on Sunday after a violent fight with a customer — and both men appeared to be drunk at the time.
“Two drunks together is not a good thing,” said Jim Cusic, the branch manager for Signal 88, the company that employed guard Frankie Garcia, in an interview with KOB4.
Garcia was stationed at a Circle K at the time of the altercation, which began when a customer reportedly approached him but was denied entry. That’s when the man started punching and kicking Garcia, who retaliated.
According to police, Garcia pulled out a baton, pepper spray and a BB gun — only he wasn’t allowed to be carrying any of those weapons.
“Frankie was a level 1 security officer, and he has no equipment,” Cusic said. “He has to use his brain.”
Cusic has since fired Garcia.
The guard seemed to miss every strike with the baton, witnesses said. But apparently, he didn’t miss with the BB gun, as police found imprints on the customer’s stomach. The customer also was hit with Garcia’s pepper spray.
Officers who responded to the incident told KOB4 that Garcia tried unsuccessfully to hide his illegal weapons before they arrived. They arrested him and charged him with aggravated battery and assault.
The guard has a long rap sheet that includes aggravated assault and burglary, the outlet reported. Somehow, this slipped past Signal 88’s radar during the hiring process. Because Garcia already had a valid security guard license when he applied with the company, they assumed he had a clean record and gave him a job.
Cusic said Garcia had been working with his company since June 2018 without a problem — until now. “Last night’s incident was the first time that it happened,” he said. “And it was not his normal character.”
Cusic told KOB4 if he had known about Garcia’s criminal record he would have never hired him.
Garcia will have his security guard license revoked to prevent him from getting a job in that field going forward. A judge has released him from custody as he awaits his hearing.
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