Last night my friend and headed to Kmart to do some shopping. We were stopped by an off duty policeman working security for Kmart because I have a service dog. We tried to explain to him that Chestnut is a service dog and is entitled to go with me most anywhere. He kept on insisting that the store policy was "No Dogs Allowed" I requested to speak to the manager and he refused to call them. He then grabbed me by the arm and tried to drag me out of the store. At this, my friend tried to come to my aid and he turned, hit her in the face, slammed her to the ground, and repeatedly punched her face and body as I watched in horror. Once she was placed in handcuffs he called for support on his radio. When the police arrived I was placed into the back seat of a patrol car while my friend was placed into another one. The off duty officer wanted me to be arrested for disturbing the peace and my friend to be charged with assault. The arresting officers didn't agree and I was released. My friend however was arrested and charged with assault 4th degree and is now in jail under a suicide watch.
We are both decorated disabled veterans and we just wanted to do some shopping. I have been a regular shopper of this Kmart for the last 7 months and have never had any problems with bringing my service dog into the store. I would think that a policeman would be at least a little bit informed about ADA laws and service dog access.
Last night I was brutaly kicked out of a Kmart
