Starbucks Workers Fight Off Robbers - Then Get Fired! - Todd Starnes
Two Starbucks workers in St. Louis were reportedly fired after they fought off a pair of robbers during a terrifying attack inside a store near Saint Louis University.
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The incident happened in December 2023, but newly released surveillance video has renewed outrage over the company’s decision to terminate the employees.
Michael Harris, who was working the drive-thru, said two men came into the store, announced a robbery and began threatening workers and customers. One of the suspects went behind the counter and tried to force employees to open the register.
“I thought I was gonna die that day,” Harris told KSDK.
Harris tried to open the cash register, but he reportedly did not have manager-level access. Moments later, one of the robbers struck him in the back of the head with what appeared to be a gun.
Harris later said he believed he was “about to get shot.”
That’s when another Starbucks worker, Devin Jones-Ransom, jumped into action. According to reports, Jones-Ransom tackled one of the robbers, driving him into the drive-thru window area. During the struggle, the weapon broke, and the workers realized it was fake.
Harris and Jones-Ransom then helped subdue one of the suspects until police arrived. The other suspect fled. The men were later identified as Joshua Noe and Marquis Porter-Doyle, and both were eventually convicted in connection with the robbery.
But instead of being honored for stopping the attack, Harris said he got a phone call weeks later from Starbucks.
“They terminated me,” he told KSDK.
Harris has since sued Starbucks, alleging wrongful termination. His attorney, Ryan Krupp, said the case raises a basic question about whether workers have the right to defend themselves when faced with violence.
“We owe our employers our good work, not our lives,” Krupp told The Independent.
Starbucks defended its handling of the matter, saying employee and customer safety must come first in dangerous situations.
The company said it was “deeply disturbed” by the robbery and grateful that workers and customers were not more seriously injured. Starbucks also said employees are expected to follow safety protocols, including complying with demands and avoiding actions that could escalate danger.
But Harris and his supporters say the company punished workers who were forced to make a split-second decision during a violent attack.
The case is now headed toward a jury trial, according to The Independent.