Woman says she went to the store to buy gifts for her staff. Then she allegedly finds 5 police officers watching her: ‘I didn’t do anything wrong’

A woman who posts on TikTok as Josie (@jo2u_) said she went to an Ulta Beauty store in Virginia Beach to buy gifts for staff and group homes she supports. She claimed that five police officers showed up while she was shopping and that she felt she was being watched for no reason.

In her video, Josie stated that she and a companion she identified as @NoriajMusic entered the store with the goal of purchasing items for an upcoming training session and to show appreciation to her sponsors. She described those sponsors as people who work hard every day helping people with intellectual disabilities.

Josie explained that her birthday had been the day before and that she had just turned 33. She said she had been giving away $3,300 and still had $300 left that she planned to spend on the sponsors. She stated, “I didn’t do anything wrong.”

Woman shows nearly $1,000 Ulta receipt after alleging police were called

In a follow-up TikTok video, Josie sat in the passenger seat of a car and held up a long Ulta Beauty receipt. She stated the total amount spent was $961.05.

She pointed to the receipt and said part of the purchase was made with her Worth Card credit card while the remainder was paid with her personal cash rather than business money. The caption on that video alleged she was “Racial profiled for shoplifting” at the Hilltop location in Virginia Beach, VA, and noted that she spent $966 and used her Ulta Credit card.

Josie said in the first video that she lives up the street from the store and that she did not go there to shop for herself. She claimed only a couple of other people were inside and that she was not carrying a purse. She stated that the officers left after she showed she had no purse. A companion heard in the video responded by saying, “Exactly. Exactly.”

Josie appeared upset in the footage and said it is important to have people in higher positions who understand cultural competence. She stated, “You do not racially profile somebody,” and noted that security was already present in the store.

In the caption of her first video, Josie wrote that she was “triggered, heartbroken, and deeply disappointed.” She stated she was simply shopping and spending her own money to bring joy to others when the police arrived.

She wrote that she was made to feel like she did not belong in the store even though she was a paying customer. She also wrote, “THE ENEMY DID NOT GIVE ME MY JOY, SO HE CANNOT TAKE IT AWAY!” and said she would process what happened, pray, and continue being the woman she is called to be. Similar complaints surfaced when a Black woman allegedly swarmed by police went public about her walk in an Atlanta park.

Some viewers left comments under the videos. One commenter said the officers did not deserve her tears and wrote, “Hate you cried in front of them…they didn’t deserve your tears.” Another suggested she should have left the store without completing the purchase and wrote, “Girl you still gave them your money…….yall gotta do better I would’ve walked out”

One commenter described the situation as insensitive and wrote, “Them laughing is actually disgusting and so insensitive like wtf” Another urged her to report the incident and wrote, “Don’t cry girl! Report them!!!”

A further comment advised her to return the items to the same location and explain her reason, writing, “Make sure you return your items to the same store! And tell them it’s bc of what happened that you want to support a different Ulta with more respectful and considerate management.”