Elgin Walmart employee fired after woman locked in freezer

Elgin police are investigating a report from a Walmart employee who said two other employees locked her in a freezer, and Walmart has fired an employee it says led the prank.

The employee, a 21-year-old woman from Elgin, said the incident happened about 5:30 a.m. Sunday at the store at 1100 S. Randall Road, Deputy Chief Bill Wolf said. She made a report at the police station at about 11:20 a.m. that day.

The woman said two people she worked with shut the door to the freezer, and she was trapped for about five minutes until someone heard her banging on the door and let her out.

"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," Walmart spokesman Charles Crowson said.

Police are waiting for a report from Walmart and plan to question the involved parties, Wolf said. "Potentially, it could be reckless conduct ..." Wolf said. "If it rises to that level, it's hard to say right now. "