He got cold.
Starbucks fired a barista who worked hard to pay for paramedic school after he helped subdue two robbers who pistol-whipped him.
Michael Harrison, 20, told The Post he was manning the drive-thru last month when two masked men entered his downtown St. Louis location around noon and told everyone to get on the ground.
As one of the invaders waved what appeared to be a gun, the approximately ten employees and one customer present remained face down in terror.
Many of them, the aspiring paramedic said, were crying with fear.
Harrison said he cooperated with the robbers’ demands and tried to open the cash register, but did not have administrative credentials to access the cash.
He asked his supervisor to get up from the floor to open the box, but the frozen manager refused to do so.
As one of the men searched the pockets, his alleged accomplice, Joshua Noe, hit Harrison in the back of the head with the gun.
Michael Harrison earned money to pay for college.
“At that moment I thought he was going to shoot me,” the barista told the Post.
One of Harrison’s co-workers noticed that a part of the gun broke off and felt the possibility that the gun was fake.
Devin Jones-Ransom began fighting with the attackers and Harrison came to his aid.
The melee spread outside and a passerby from a nearby store jumped in to help the struggling baristas.
When the fight ended, Noe was pinned to the ground while his accomplice Marquise Porter-Doyle fled the scene.
Suspect Joshua Noe allegedly hit Harrison with a gun during the attempted robbery. St. Louis City Justice Center Harrison said he was surprised by his dismissal.
A later mugshot of Noe looked as if he had just come out of a blender, with cuts and scrapes on his face and scalp.
Arriving officers detained Porter-Doyle nearby and arrested Noe at the scene.
The impressed police officers thanked Harrison and Jones-Ransom for their bravery and placed the two suspects in their patrol cars.
The baristas were then placed on paid leave for two weeks while Starbucks officials investigated the incident.
The two young men were praised in the local media for their heroism and both hoped to return to work.
Marquise Porter-Doyle fled the scene but was later arrested.
“But I got a call a few weeks later,” Harrison said. “Once the media calmed down. They told me they were going to fire me. I was surprised. I was distraught. I was confused.”
The company told Harrison and his co-worker that they had violated company policy, but were not specific, said Harrison’s attorney, Ryan Krupp.
“We were deeply disturbed to learn of this terrifying incident,” a Starbucks spokesperson told The Post. “Associate safety is paramount in how we operate our stores and we are very grateful that our associates and customers have not suffered further harm in this situation.
“In situations like this, our training and protocols guide our associates to comply and de-escalate, not only for their safety but for the safety of everyone in the store.”
The company maintains that the two former employees should not have hired the two men to the extent they did.
The St. Louis Starbucks had been plagued by violence for months.
Stripped of his income, Harrison said he is now struggling to pay his bills and tuition. “That job helped me pay for college,” he said. “I just do not get it. I thought it was the right thing to do.”
Harrison told The Post that the busy location had been plagued by unruly and aggressive customers for months, and he and other employees formally complained to management.
He recalled an incident in which a deranged customer began firing heavy steel canisters at cowering employees.
“People always shout at us and threaten to attack us. Throwing things, trying to get close to us,” she said. “But nothing was ever done. “People have left work because of it.”
The company denied that claim and said the location was temporarily closed for safety improvements, including giving employees the option to lock the main section of the location and use drive-thru only.
Now, Krupp said, a lawsuit is being prepared and will be filed in the coming weeks.
“When the robbers entered, my client complied and attempted to open the register when one of the gunmen hit him in the head,” Krupp said. “At that point you are in a position to defend yourself.”
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Source: vtt.edu.vn