Walmart Employee Fired For Locking Co-Worker In Freezer

ELGIN, IL — A Walmart employee has been fired after allegedly trapping a co-worker inside a freezer. Elgin police are investigating the incident. A 21-year-old Elgin woman who works at the 1100 S. Randall Rd. store filed a police report Sunday alleging that two fellow employees had trapped her inside a large freezer for about five minutes at around 5:30 a.m. that morning, according to Elgin Police Deputy Chief Bill Wolf.

She reported another employee later freed her from inside when another Walmart employee heard her banging on the door and let her out.

The woman told WLS-TV she was putting items in the freezer at the time and had left the door wide open.

"We made eye contact and he shut the door. As soon as he shut the door, the lights went out," leaving her in total darkness, the woman said.

"I'm anemic, so when the cold air was just hitting me, I was like, 'Oh my god.' So I'm banging on the door, banging on the door trying to get up out of there." When she got out and confronted the man who closed the door, she said he was laughing about it.

Walmart confirmed the accused employee has been fired.

"We take the matter seriously, acted on it the moment we found out, and the individual responsible for the prank is no longer with the company," a Walmart spokesman told the Chicago Daily Herald.

The mother of the 21-year-old wants criminal charges to be filed.

"I want this boy to be arrested, to let him know not to lock people in freezer if they think it's a game," she told WLS. "It's not a game."

Police said they were waiting on a report from Walmart to question the people involved, and Wolf told the Daily Herald the incident may potentially rise to the level of reckless conduct.

_{Top photo: Elgin Walmart, 110 S. Randall Rd. | Google Street View}