Police in Kendall County, Illinois said Friday that they were investigating whether an off-duty officer drew his firearm and pointed it at a pregnant woman because she had more items than Walmart recommends for self-checkout lanes.

Nicole Thurmond and husband Jason were reportedly checking out recently at a Walmart store in Oswego, Illinois when a man confronted them wearing civilian clothing, not identifying himself as an officer. The couple said it was only after his gun was drawn that the man told onlookers he was a police officer.

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Nicole Thurmond told NBC Chicago that officer Craig French just walked up to her and said, “Don’t you know how to count? You are holding up the whole store.”

When her husband returned from getting an item they forgot, he described the situation he encountered as “a guy in her face, yelling at her.”

Jason Thurmond, an African-American man, reportedly pushed the man away from his wife. That’s when the gun was allegedly drawn. In the ensuing moments, Thurmond claimed that the officer asked if he was on welfare.

At that point, Nicole said she turned around “because I was afraid if it did go off, at least it hits my backside and not in the front where my baby is.”

Jason Thurmond was subsequently arrested and charged with misdemeanor battery. The couple has filed a formal complaint, which sparked the inquiry.

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This video is from NBC Chicago, broadcast Friday, Feb. 10, 2012.

View more videos at: http://nbcchicago.com.