Man Buys Freon From AutoZone. Then The Manager Asks Him Something Shocking: ‘Will Be Reporting Y’all’

A tow truck driver and local business reviewer went to an AutoZone for a routine purchase of freon. He says a worker there asked him a question that was highly offensive.

Mark Lockhart (@marklockhart87) says that he visited AutoZone to purchase two cans of automotive refrigerant. He claims a worker asked him if he was going to snort the substance. He believes the remark was mean-spirited and predicated on his appearance.

The clip begins with a person off-camera walking inside an AutoZone. Once inside, Lockhart can be seen standing next to an AutoZone employee who purportedly wasn’t the person who made the freon joke.

“Do you know what this guy just asked me? I asked him for two cans of freon and he asked me was I gonna snort it,” Lockhart says incredulously. He repeats himself as someone standing near the entrance of the store continues to record him. The person behind the camera then says: “Why would you ask some stupid stuff like that?”

Lockhart continues, “They must not understand who I am. Then they made him go to the back then he walked away."

Following this, the store manager tells Lockhart that the employee will be punished for his behavior. He added that the worker is a father of two children and he might get fired for the remark. This prompted a woman off-screen to say that if the man cared that much about his job, he shouldn’t have asked Lockhart if he was going to snort the freon.

The AutoZone worker on-screen agrees that the man shouldn’t have said that, but says he’s going to talk to him.

“A young buck gonna make a mistake he ain’t really thinking clear you know … he made a mistake, he did,” the worker says as he walks towards the back of the store.

Next, the video cuts to Lockhart in the parking lot.

“I’ve just been the most insulted that I’ve ever been in my [expletive] life. I walked in to buy two cans of freon. And the guy behind the counter gonna ask me was I gonna snort it? And then you got another Black guy that’s working with him gonna sit down and think everything funny," he says.

Continuing, he says, "I didn’t catch the joke … and then he said you must not heard what I said.”

According to Lockhart, the employee repeated the joke.

“What you mean is I’m going to snort it, what you mean? Just cause I got gold on and dreads in my hair, you think I’m a coke head?” he says.

Refrigerant Sales In The US

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, there are strict guidelines when it comes to making wholesale purchases of refrigerants. But these rules and regulations are for buying mass quantities, not a purchase of a couple cans for routine vehicle or home maintenance. Cans of car refrigerant with self sealing valves, such as EZ Chill, are generally sold over-the-counter.

While it is true that some have been known to use freon as an intoxicant, the risks are severe. The National Library of Medicine writes that “when inhaled … it has the desired effects of euphoria and intoxication.” However, side “effects include cardiovascular and neurologic insults such as arrhythmias and seizures." Huffing freon can also lead to lung and airway injuries, along with disorientation, skin, soft tissue, gastrointestinal, renal, and hematologic complications. The Treatment Specialist notes that inhaling freon can cause “sudden cardiac arrest,” comas, or even death.

Refrigerant poisoning can also happen unintentionally if there's a leaking air conditioning or HVAC unit.

Healthline reports that, if someone were to unknowingly inhale the “tasteless, mostly odorless gas, it can cut off vital oxygen to … [their] cells and lungs." The online medical resource outlet urges anyone who believes they may have inhaled refrigerant to immediately seek fresh air, not to induce vomiting, and to seek medical attention.

Motor1 has reached out to Lockhart via TikTok direct message and AutoZone via email for further comment. We'll update this if either responds.