A security officer saw a female customer acting suspiciously and holding tightly to a purse. The officer grabbed hold of her arm. The customer continued to scream and the officer reacted by covering her mouth. He dragged her by the arm across the store to a big safe located near the stairway to the basement offices. According to one witness, the officer was slapping her and knocking her into several counters as he dragged her along toward the basement steps. Until this time neither of the officers had identified themselves. They were not in any type of uniform. The officers had detained the wrong person.

Would the security company and its employees be liable for the false imprisonment?