he froze.
Starbucks fired a barista who was struggling to pay for paramedic school after he helped crack down on two robbers who were pistol-whipped.
Michael Harrison, 20, said he was working at a drive-thru last month when two masked men entered the store in downtown St. Louis around noon and ordered everyone to get on the ground. he told the Post.
One of the intruders brandished what appeared to be a gun, causing about 10 employees and one customer to lie face down in fear.
According to aspiring paramedics, many of them were crying in fear.
Harrison said he cooperated with the robber's demands and tried to open the register, but did not have managerial credentials to access the cash.
He asks his boss to get off the ground to open the cash register, but the frozen boss refuses.
One of the men had a rifle in his pocket, and the alleged accomplice, Joshua Noe, struck Harrison in the back of the head with the gun.
“At that point, I thought he was going to shoot me,” the barista told the Post.
One of Harrison's co-workers noticed that part of the gun was broken and suspected it was a fake.
Devin Jones-Ransome then began a scuffle with the attackers, and Harrison came to his aid.
The scuffle spread outside, and bystanders from nearby businesses jumped in to help the fighting baristas.
When the disturbance was over, Noe lay motionless on the ground and his accomplice, Marquis Porter Doyle, fled the scene.
A photo of Noe's face later released showed him looking like he had just come out of a blender, with cuts and abrasions on his face and scalp.
Arriving officers collared Porter Doyle nearby and arrested Noe at the scene.
Impressed officers thanked Harrison and Jones-Ransom for their bravery and placed the two suspects in their cruiser.
The baristas were subsequently given two weeks of paid leave while Starbucks officials investigated the incident.
The two young men were praised for their heroism in local media, and both were looking forward to getting back to work.
“But a few weeks later I got a call,” Harrison said. “When the media disappeared. They said they were going to fire me. I was freaked out. I was distraught. I was confused.”
Harrison's attorney, Ryan Krupp, said the company told him and his co-workers that they had violated company rules, but did not provide specifics.
A Starbucks spokesperson told the Post: “We are deeply disturbed to learn of this horrific incident.” “The safety of our partners is at the core of our store operations, and we are extremely grateful that our partners and customers did not suffer further harm in this situation.
“In situations like this, our training and protocols guide our partners to comply and de-escalate. This is not only for the safety of our partners, but for the safety of everyone in the store. there is.”
The company claims the two former employees should never have been so involved.
Harrison said he was deprived of his income and is now struggling to meet his living expenses and tuition fees. “That job helped me pay for college,” he said. “I just don't get it. I thought it was the right thing to do.”
Harrison told the Post that the downtown area had been plagued by unruly and aggressive customers for months, and that he and other employees had filed a formal complaint with management.
He recalled one incident in which a deranged customer began firing a heavy metal can at a crouching employee.
“People are always shouting at us and threatening to assault us. They are throwing things and trying to get to us,” he said. “But nothing was done. People quit their jobs because of it.”
The company denied the claims and said it temporarily closed its stores to improve safety, including giving employees the option of locking key sections of the store and using only the drive-thru.
Krupp said he is currently preparing a lawsuit and expects to file it in the coming weeks.
“When the robbers came in, my customer complied and tried to open the cash register, but was hit in the head by one of the robbers,” Krupp said. “At that point, you're in a position to protect yourself.”
