Arrest of mall Santa in Winnipeg was a 'misguided and unfortunate' prank

Videos and photos widely shared on social media Wednesday show the Santa Claus in CF Polo Park being handcuffed by a pair of security guards. The mall has confirmed this was a prank. (Source: Twitter)

Don't worry, Santa Claus is not on the naughty list. The apparent arrest of a mall Santa in Winnipeg was a 'misguided and unfortunate' prank, prompting an apology from the mall.

Videos and photos widely shared on social media Wednesday show Santa Claus being handcuffed by a pair of security guards in front of his display at Cadillac-Fairview Polo Park.

But, the apparent arrest turned out to be nothing more than a prank.

The whole fiasco prompted an apology from the mall.

"On behalf of our team at C.F. Polo Park, we’d like to personally apologize to our guests, community and families for a misguided and unfortunate moment as it relates to our Santa experience at the property," a spokesperson for the mall told CTV News in an email.

"To be clear, Santa has not been removed from the property and there has been no wrongdoing. Any depiction of an arrest was done in jest by the centre's staff and was an error in judgment."

Winnipeg police also took to Twitter to calm concerns.

"Police did not attend Polo Park, and no Mall Santa was arrested," Police said in a post on Twitter. "Nothing untoward has happened."

CTV News has reached out for comment from the security company.