ST. LOUIS, MO - Newly released video shows two Starbucks employees fighting off a pair of armed robbers in a "life or death situation" at the store before they were fired.
The chaotic moment broke out when two men in hooded sweatshirts entered the Starbucks location near the campus of St. Louis University in Midtown in December 2023, according to video obtained by Fox 2 News. One of the hooded men aimed a gun at the employees behind the counter and everyone else in the store dropped to the ground as they complied with the armed man's orders.
One of the robbers rushed the cash register, shoving a female worker out of the way, according to the New York Post. Employee Michael Harris, who was working the drive-thru, approached the register and began touching the screen as the armed robber stood next to him.
"We were just going about our normal day. Two robbers walked in," he said. "I was scared but also just calm at the moment because I was just like, whatever we could do to just get them out of here would be perfect,” Harris said.
The robbers demanded money and one struck Harris with a gun. "After that point, my vision went black,” Harris said. “I was like, I’m about to get shot. It was definitely a life-or-death situation."
Another worker, also fired after the incident, saw a suspect lower his gun. He shoved him and noticed the gun was fake. "The trigger broke off when they hit (the co-worker) with it,” Harris said. “He announced that it was a fake gun like right as he got it off of them and that’s when we jumped and like started to fight them a little bit more."
Both suspects, later identified as Joshua Noe and Marquis Porter-Doyle, were not only caught by police but are now in prison after robbery convictions. Harris says he got a call from corporate: “They said, ‘This is Starbucks. We are terminating you, effective immediately.’”
In turn, Harris hired attorney Ryan Krupp. "You have the right to self-preservation. You have the right to make sure that you and your family are not physically harmed – full stop,” the attorney said. Krupp says Starbucks' response could lead to a deadly outcome in the future.
"All it’s going to do is dissuade people potentially from protecting their own lives when they may need it the most,” he said. “And that is not a world that we can live in."
Harris said the coffee chain's location had been plagued by unruly and aggressive customers for months leading up to the violent attempted robbery. "People are always yelling and screaming at us, threatening to assault us. Throwing things, trying to come up to us,” he said. “But nothing was ever done. People have left the job because of it."
Starbucks said the two workers did not adhere to the company policy of "complying with demands and avoiding actions that could increase risk."
"In high-stress situations like this, our priority is ensuring the safety of everyone in our stores. We were deeply disturbed by this frightening incident and are grateful that our partners and customers were not more seriously injured at the time,” the company told Fox 2.
"While we recognize how intense and unpredictable these moments can be, adherence to these protocols is essential to help protect both partners and customers,” the statement said.
Krupp blasted the policy, claiming it could lead to further robbery attempts if workers don't fight back.
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