A black man in Florida was allegedly threatened with pepper spray by shopping centre security for reportedly "doing nothing" and sitting in the shade in a public place.

Footage filmed on August 28 at the Tampa Premium Outlets in the southern US state shows the moment a security officer from the shopping centre unholsters a can of pepper spray during an argument with a man in a square.

The guard tells the African-American man to "leave the property" despite his protestations.

The filmer claims the man's removal was unprovoked and he had simply been cooling off amid scorching temperatures.

He told Newsflare: "It was very hot yesterday, even for a Florida summer it’s been scorching lately.

"We were walking [into the mall] and sat down at the grouping of tables seen in the video. Not long after that, the security approached the man sitting at a table adjacent to us.

"The man was noticeably angry with having been told to leave because as far as we could tell he was doing the same thing we were.

"He was saying over and over that it was hot and that he was just sitting there.

"He ended up pulling a chair out in front of the guard and sitting to face him, crossed his arms and said he won’t leave until he gets a valid reason to.

"From what I and everyone there saw, it was unprovoked and he really was minding his own business.

"I didn’t see anything suspicious happening whatsoever. The man never laid hands on the guard or made any threats to the guard's safety."

The filmer adds that the mall guard even reportedly called for backup.

He adds: "When he eventually did walk away and leave, the mall security guard has already called for backup.

"When leaving the mall 20-30 minutes later, we witnessed the same man being spoken to by a law enforcement officer at his cruiser, as well as three additional mall security personnel who were off to the side."

A spokesperson for Tampa Premium Outlets said: "At Tampa Premium Outlets, we strive to create an enjoyable and welcoming place where all our visitors can shop and dine in an inclusive environment.

"The security officer, who works with our contracted security provider, was responding to a security call from a tenant that involved the individual.

"The security officer calmly asked the individual to exit the property. As the security officer sensed the individual getting more agitated and argumentative, he responded in a way that he felt was most appropriate given the situation."

A security guard from the Tampa Premium Outlets threatened pepper spray at a man who was initially sitting in shade doing nothing. I was sitting with a friend and the man was at a table adjacent to us. He was asked to leave the premises and got angry when refused a valid reason. The mall guard was on a bit of a power trip and ended up unholstering his pepper spray and threatening the man who was only asking questions as to why that was happening. When he eventually did walk away and leave, the mall security guard has already called for backup. When leaving the mall 20-30 minutes later, we witnessed the same man being spoken to by a law enforcement officer at his cruiser, as well as 3 additional mall security personnel who were off to the side. I personally feel it may have been racially oriented, but I have no knowledge of the situation other than the snip I saw.

He was making many points about it being hot and wanting to just sit in the shade, and that’s the exact reason we were sitting in the same group of tables. It’s an outdoor mall with a lot of sun shining directly in. At 12:30 on a southwest Florida summer day, it’s very very hot, so I believe him.