He got ice.
Starbucks fired a barista who was struggling to pay for paramedic school after he helped subdue two robbers who pistol-whipped him.
Michael Harrison, 20, told The Post that he was driving a drive-thru last month when two masked men entered his downtown location in St. Louis around noon and told everyone to get down on the ground.
With one of the intruders brandishing what appeared to be a gun, about ten employees and one customer present went up on their stomachs in fear.
Many of them, EMT candidates said, were crying out in fear.
Harrison said he cooperated with the robbers’ requests and tried to open the register, but did not have management credentials to access the cash.
He asked his supervisor to get off the ground to open work, but the frozen manager refused to do so.
As one of the men rummaged through his pockets, his accomplice, Joshua Noe, hit Harrison in the back of the head with a pistol.
Michael Harrison earns money to pay for college.
“At that point I thought he was going to shoot me,” the barista told The Post.
One of Harrison’s co-workers noticed a part of the weapon was broken off and he felt the gun might be fake.
Devin Jones-Ransom then began fighting with the attacker, with Harrison coming to his aid.
The fight spilled outside, and people from nearby shops jumped in to help the struggling barista
When the fight ended, Noe was motionless on the ground while accomplice Marquise Porter-Doyle fled the scene.
Suspect Joshua Noe allegedly struck Harrison with a weapon during an attempted robbery. The St.Louis city justice center Harrison said he was surprised by his termination.
The next shot of Noe looks like he just came out of a grinder, with cuts and scrapes on his face and scalp.
Arriving officers pulled Porter-Doyle nearby and arrested Noe at the scene.
Impressed police thanked Harrison and Jones-Ransom for their bravery and placed the two suspects in their cruiser.
The baristas were later placed on two weeks’ paid leave while Starbucks officials investigated the incident.
Both young men were praised in the local media for their heroism, and both are looking forward to getting back to work.
Marquise Porter-Doyle fled the scene but was later arrested.
“But I got a call a few weeks later,” Harrison said. “After the media dies. They told me they were going to terminate me. I was surprised. I was in a daze. I’m confused.”
The company told Harrison and his co-workers that they had violated company policy, but was not specific, said Harrison’s attorney, Ryan Krupp.
“We are deeply disturbed to learn of this frightening incident,” a Starbucks spokesperson told The Post. “Partner safety is at the heart of how we operate our stores, and we are extremely grateful that our partners and customers did not experience greater harm in this situation.
“In situations like this, our training and protocols guide our partners to comply and mitigate actions, not only for their safety but for the safety of everyone in the store.”
The company maintains the two former employees should not have courted the two men to the extent they did.
St. Louis Starbucks has been plagued by violence for months.
Stripped of his income, Harrison said he now struggles to pay his bills and tuition. “The job helped me pay for college,” he said. “I just don’t understand. I think it’s the right thing to do.”
Harrison told The Post that the busy location had been plagued by unruly and aggressive customers for months, and that he and other employees formally complained to management.
He recalled one incident where a crazed customer started shooting heavy steel canisters at terrified workers.
“People are always yelling and screaming at us, threatening to attack us. Throwing things, trying to come to us,” he said. “But nothing was ever done. People have left their jobs because of it.”
The company denied the claims, saying the location was temporarily closed to make security improvements – including giving employees the option to lock the main part of the location and only use the drive-thru.
Now, Krupp said, the lawsuit is being prepared and will be filed in the coming weeks.
“When the robbers entered, my client complied and was trying to open the cash register when he was hit in the head by one of the gunmen,” Krupp said. “At that point you are in a position to defend yourself.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
