‘Struggling’: Supercheap Auto worker speaks for first time since pram theft went viral

The Gold Coast man stood down after trying to stop a suspected shoplifter has spoken for the first time since video of the incident went viral.

A Supercheap Auto worker who went viral after confronting an alleged shoplifter has broken his silence after the viral incident led to him being stood down from his job.

Earlier this month, a TikTok video of an employee accusing a woman of using a pram to steal from the Gold Coast store attracted millions of views.

In the clip, the worker could be seen trying to grab the pram, which was covered with a blanket.

He accused the woman of stealing from the store and threatened to call the police, as the woman screamed “let my baby go”.

After they both struggled to take control of the pram, a box was knocked to the ground from under the blanket and the woman said: “You can have the f***ing rotor mate.”

The incident reportedly occurred outside the Supercheap Auto store in Ashmore.

While the staff member – later identified as Darren Woolfe – was widely praised by the public, Supercheap Auto soon announced he had been temporarily stood down as management conducted a review, with a company spokesman confirming the move was standard practice “after an event of this nature”.

Mr Woolfe kept a low profile in the wake of the incident, but has finally broken his silence in an interview with 9 News.

“You don’t expect that to happen when you go to work, you don’t expect someone to be filming something like that. You go in and do your job and go home,” he told the network.

“It’s been a struggle, a huge impact on myself and my family … they are my number one focus at the moment.”

Last week, it emerged that Mr Woolfe had accepted a new job at rival company Autobarn at Burleigh Heads.

Darren Woolfe told 9 News it had "been a struggle". Picture: 9 News

“It’s a new start for me … I just want this finished,” Mr Woolfe told 9 News of the new position.

Autobarn Burleigh Heads owner Michael Farrar previously told the Gold Coast Bulletin the decision to hire Mr Woolfe had been a no-brainer.

“His actions showed to me that he is a loyal person and someone we would want on our team,” he said, adding Mr Woolfe was “pretty upset” after his “life got turned upside down in one fell swoop”.

Mr Farrar confirmed his store had been seriously impacted by theft as well, revealing around $15,000 worth of items had been stolen in the last two years.

Several Gold Coast businesses have rallied around a Supercheap Auto worker who was stood down after he was involved in a viral video. Autobarn's Michael Farrar is one of them. He is pictured with staff members Beau Batchelor (L) and Matt Mihelcic. Picture: Richard Gosling

Meanwhile, Supercheap Auto has attracted significant backlash for its handling of the bizarre incident.

A spokesperson for Supercheap Auto’s parent company, Super Retail Group, last week stressed Mr Woolfe had not been fired and was on full pay while the incident was investigated.

“We are reviewing an incident from last week at one of our stores on the Gold Coast which is standard practice after an event of this nature,” the spokesperson said via Channel 7.

“At all times, we remain focused on the health, safety and wellbeing of our team members and customers.”