What’s more important, your job or your safety? That’s the question two former Starbucks baristas faced during an attempted robbery. Now they are out of a job.
New security video obtained by Fox 2 News showed what happened at the St. Louis coffee shop in December 2023.
Michael Harris was working the drive-thru on a Sunday afternoon when it happened.
“We were just going about our normal day. Two robbers walked in,” he told FOX 2 News.
Video Shows Foiled Robbery
In the video, you can see two individuals walk in, one of whom draws a weapon. You then see one of them shove a female barista.
One robber hit Harris with a gun, demanding money. That’s when Harris said his vision went black.
“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,” he told Fox 2 News. “I was like, I’m about to get shot.”
You can see a customer at the drive-through put her car in reverse after seeing the commotion in the store.
Another barista, Devin Jones-Ransom, saw the robber lower his gun and grabbed him. He rammed the robber into the window of the drive-through, breaking the individual’s gun.
That’s when Harris said he and Jones-Ransom realized the guns were fake.
“The trigger broke off when they hit him with it,” Harris said. “My coworker announced that it was a fake gun like right as he got it off of him, and that’s when we jumped and started to fight them a little more.”
Store security cameras captured the two employees fighting off the robbers near the front door.
The robbers, identified as Joshua Noe and Marquis Porter-Doyle, were ultimately overpowered by the two baristas. Noe was stuck on the ground as Porter-Doyle made his escape.
Both men have since been convicted of robbery and sentenced to prison.
Harris said he and his coworker were fired a few weeks after they stopped the robbery.
“I got a call a few weeks later,” Harris told the New York Post. “Once the media died down, they told me they were terminating me. I was surprised. I was distraught. I was confused.”
Starbucks Defends Policy
Starbucks sent Atlanta Black Star the following statement:
“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.”
“Our training and protocols are designed to support partner safety by emphasizing de-escalation, helping to reduce the risk of an already volatile situation intensifying. All partners are trained at hire and annually on these practices, including robbery scenarios that reinforce complying with demands and avoiding actions that could increase risk.”
Atlanta Black Star looked up in the employee handbook and saw no mention of what to do in the event of a robbery. There is also no information about “de-escalation techniques.”
Former Starbucks workers told the Atlanta Black Star that shift managers have told them to comply with the suspect in the event of a robbery. It’s unclear whether the company followed through with annual training.
According to a recent Colorado Supreme Court ruling, employees cannot be fired for lawfully defending themselves against an unprovoked attack at work.
The decision comes after a 72-year-old woman was fired from her job at Circle K. The company said it terminated her because she defended herself against a man armed with a knife.
Atlanta Black Star reached out to Starbucks for more clarification on company policies. ABS also reached out to Harris’ attorney, but has not heard back.
