But Murphy said the officer was justified in his actions.

"The officer followed our procedure," Murphy said. "If you see a suspicious situation you should approach the customer. We do whatever's necessary to subdue someone [suspected of shoplifting]."

Murphy said not having a bag made Appel "suspicious." Appel said he refused a bag because his book was so small that he did not need one.

Appel bought the book Dora: An Analysis of a Case of Hysteria, by Sigmund Freud, for a first-year seminar.

"We feel comfortable in terms of what we did," Murphy said. "It was a misunderstanding on both sides. What [Appel] did--walking with open merchandise and without a bag--prompted someone to check up on him."

He said Appel would not have been apprehended if he had shown a receipt and not attempted to flee.

"Something has to happen to cause that next step of being apprehended," Murphy said.

Murphy refused to comment on whether internal action was being taken against the guard, saying it was an "internal matter."

Appel has not filed suit against the Coop and said he probably wouldn't because of the expense. He met with Assistant Dean of Freshmen Christina S. Griffith last week to discuss the incident. Griffith did not return repeated phone calls from The Crimson.

Murphy said he thinks this was the first time in several years that an innocent Coop shopper has been seized and handcuffed. But he said lack of electronic surveillance forces guards to investigate suspicious cases.

The Coop has fewer cameras and monitoring devices than most large stores, Murphy said.

"We don't want an environment that's prohibitive to customers," Murphy said.

But for Appel, the damage has been done.

"I'm never shopping there again," Appel said