Video showing police stopping shopper in Maryland goes viral

TIMONIUM, Md. – A video showing a Baltimore County police officer stopping a man at a department store has garnered hundreds of thousands of views.

The Baltimore Sun reports the video on 24-year-old John Holt’s Facebook page had been viewed more than 700,000 times by Tuesday morning. It shows Officer H.R. Persuhn saying he is trying to verify whether there is a warrant for Holt’s arrest.

In the video Holt, who is black, says Persuhn, who is white, is harassing him.

Police spokesman Shawn Vinson says Persuhn happened to be at the Timonium Kohl’s store June 7 when he recognized Holt from a September shoplifting call at J.C. Penney.

Court documents say Holt has a July trial scheduled over a theft report J.C. Penney filed. Holt didn’t immediately return a reporter’s Facebook message.

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Information from: The Baltimore Sun, http://www.baltimoresun.com