Two hero baristas have been fired by Starbucks after preventing the store where they work from being robbed.
On Sunday, December 17, two men walked into the coffee shop at 212 South Grand Boulevard in St. Louis, carrying what appeared to be guns and telling everyone in the store to get on the ground and give up any valuables they had on them.
However, when 37-year-old Joshua Noe, of Potosi, struck a patron over the head with his supposed gun, it cracked. Realizing the men were not armed, the would-be victims turned the tables on the would-be robbers.
Two of the people who fought back were store employees Michael Harris and Devin Jones-Ransom. An attorney for Harris says that he was struck in the face, leading to a struggle.
"Harris complied with the robbers' demands until it was no longer an option for himself and others," says Ryan Krupp, who represents the former Starbucks worker. Krupp says that after being struck, Harris realized he needed to take action or risk being killed.
Harris, Jones-Ransom and other patrons fought back, eventually managing to subdue Noe until police arrived. Noe's alleged accomplice, Marquise Porter-Doyle, 35, of St. Louis, fled the store but was later apprehended.
In his booking photo, Noe indeed looks pretty banged up, with a bloody bump on his head and dazed expression on his face.
“I just wanted to do the right thing as a person and as an employee," Harris said in a statement.
Combined, Noe and Porter-Doyle are now facing more than 20 felony charges for robbery, attempted robbery and assault in St. Louis Circuit Court.
The efforts of the two baristas and the Starbucks patrons were widely covered in the local media, praised for their quick thinking and for proving once again that even the type of city resident who pays $7 for a latte is not someone to be messed with.
Starbucks, apparently, didn't see it that way.
Last week, Harris was fired. Jones-Ransom has been fired as well.
"Michael and Devin were promptly fired by the company without any explanation as to what, if any policy they violated, or what they should have done differently about the situation," Krupp said in a statement. He goes on to say that Harris had been outspoken about safety concerns at the store, which Krupp suspects may have been the motivation for the termination.
Krupp said he and his client are planning to take legal action against Starbucks.
Reached for comment, a rep for Starbucks said, "The safety and wellbeing of our partners (employees) and customers is always our first concern. All partners are expected to follow our carefully crafted protocols to ensure the safety of customers and partners during these situations."
Follow us: Apple News | Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Or sign up for our RSS Feed
