A video is currently going viral on TikTok after a woman being arrested by Walmart security claimed she was actually innocent. The video begins after the incident had already unfolded, but her unwavering conviction had her threatening legal action and even drew a few chuckles from the officer detaining her. The exact city where the video was filmed has not yet been identified. What is clear, however, is that it was the woman’s friend who was recording. As she is being escorted away by the guard, the friend asks, “Was you stealing?” The woman immediately and emphatically replies, “No.” The guard then chuckles and says, “She stole a whole bunch of merchandise in her bag.” The woman responds, “How?” prompting both the guard and the friend behind the camera to laugh. She says she’ll sue The woman argued that the guard should have reviewed the surveillance footage before detaining her to confirm his allegations. Instead, she claims, he arrested her first and intended to watch the footage with her afterward. She insists “I’m going to sue Walmart” over what she believes was an unjust arrest. @maras_int4rlude Just your average day in Walmart #viral #fyp #walmart ♬ original sound – Marà Blue However, the guard maintains that he caught her with the merchandise inside her bag, suggesting he believes he already has sufficient evidence. On TikTok, some users argued that the courts should ultimately decide the matter. One wrote, “It’s exhausting when folks get caught or held accountable for their actions and they stay lying and saying they didn’t do something… literally camera footage doesn’t lie… them body cameras don’t lie… so I’m not about to argue with you. See you in court.” Many other users were equally skeptical of the woman’s claims, especially because the guard appeared amused by her insistence that she was innocent. One commenter wrote, “If you conceal merchandise in a store, you can be charged with shoplifting. You don’t have to leave the store.” Another added, “They don’t need to see the replay of you stealing when the guy at the security desk is seeing you stealing and reporting you for stealing.” Whether she’s telling the truth or not, the courts will ultimately decide. If she believes she’s innocent, she’ll now have the chance to prove it. Major retailers like Walmart regularly deal with both organized retail theft and opportunistic shoplifters. According to a report cited by Pensacola, Walmart’s annual losses from theft can reach as high as $6 billion. Over the years, the retail giant has implemented multiple layers of security in an effort to reduce those losses. There are hidden costs to prosecuting and convicting shoplifters The odds are that if someone is attempting a shoplifting method Walmart has encountered before, security personnel are already trained to watch for it. The same report from the law firm also noted that there is a cost to taxpayers, stating, “If we conservatively estimate each petty theft case costs $1,000 in combined police, court, and jail resources (many cost more).” In some cases, the consequences can far outweigh the value of the stolen merchandise. Some individuals in Florida have reportedly been arrested for stealing items worth as little as $6. After Walmart chose to press charges, they ended up spending 10 days behind bars—a stay that reportedly cost the state $1,230. Shoplifting is an expensive crime for everyone involved. The hidden costs of investigating, prosecuting, and incarcerating offenders suggest that preventing theft through education and cultural change may ultimately be a more effective long-term solution.