Border Patrol agents with rifles chased after employees at a Super G Mart in Pineville on Saturday, went into the store and dragged a teenage employee out before arresting him, according to one of the store’s owners.
At least part of it was caught on video. It happened at about 2 p.m., said Peter Han, whose family owns the international supermarket chain.
It started when scared employees saw Border Patrol agents in the parking lot and ran, Han said.
“Our understanding is that they’re not supposed to be coming into private businesses,” he said. “Three armed agents ran into our self-checkout area and pinned one of the guys down and dragged him out.”
The person arrested was a teenage employee who is around 15 or 16 years old, Han said. It was not clear where federal officers took the boy.
Agents arrived in about five vehicles, Han said, and used “fake leaves” to cover their license plate numbers.
Many of the plates were from Texas, he said.
“The most appalling thing was: These guys still had the audacity to smile and wave at the camera after … coming and dragging a boy out, pinning him against the concrete,” he said. “Just smiling at the camera as they drive off. Very, very disgusting series of events.”
Han said the store was still reaching out to families to determine a total number of people who had been detained. Some maybe ran away in fear, he said.
Ryan Oehrli covers criminal justice in the Charlotte region for The Charlotte Observer. His work is produced with financial support from the nonprofit The Just Trust. The Observer maintains full editorial control of its journalism.
This story was originally published November 15, 2025 at 4:48 PM.
Related Stories from Charlotte Observer
