Security Guard At Boston Store Charged With Assault After Alleged Attack On 11-Year-Old Shoplifter

A security guard was indicted by a Suffolk County Grand Jury on charges that he assaulted an 11-year-old girl who was allegedly shoplifting from a Downtown Crossing store, prosecutors said Wednesday.

Mohammad Khan, 36, of Cambridge, and his employer Securitas USA, were charged with assault and battery on a child under 14 and civil rights violations, according to a statement from Suffolk County District Attorney's office.

Prosecutors said the charges stem from an incident at the clothing store Primark on June 9, during which Khan grabbed the 11-year-old and pulled her back into the store in a corner that was obstructed from view of security cameras. He reportedly threw the girl to the ground and punched her in the face while straddling her, then continued to struggle with her even after Boston Police separated them, the statement said.

An investigation also found that Khan had been reprimanded at least four other times for using more force than permitted by Securitas and violating the company's protocol.

The girl was not charged with shoplifting due to her age, prosecutors said.