A former Starbucks worker in St. Louis, Missouri, claims he was wrongfully fired after he helped thwart a robbery in December.
Twenty-year-old Michael Harris decided to take legal action and is now suing the chain, KSDK reported Tuesday.
He was working in the drive-thru at the store located on South Grand when two suspects allegedly began frisking people. Moments later, they apparently demanded cash from the register. But when Harris tried to open it, one of them smacked him in the head with a gun.
However, Harris realized the firearm was fake when the trigger fell off. Therefore, he and another coworker decided to take control of the situation to prevent anyone getting hurt.
One of the suspects fled, but Harris and his coworker restrained the other person until police officers got to the scene.
Harris said he was informed a few weeks later that he had been terminated, but no reason was given.
His attorney, Ryan Krupp, said the two workers “just did what they were supposed to do in that scenario. It happens fast…There’s no way that an individual can be faced with danger, attempted potential death of themselves or another, and then once they’ve been hit or downed, that they cannot defend themselves.”
Harris said his firing hurt because “I tried to be the best person I could to help everybody,” noting he loved his job.
In a statement regarding the incident and the company’s armed robbery training, Starbucks said, “At the time of hire and once a year thereafter, all partners go through de-escalation training. Part of that training includes armed robbery scenarios where partners are asked to comply with demands and to avoid doing or saying anything that can escalate the situation.”
A similar instance happened in June when a former Circle K employee sued the company once it fired her for an encounter with an armed thief in Westminster, Colorado, Breitbart News reported.
Seventy-five-year-old Mary Ann Moreno had worked at the store for nearly 20 years when the incident happened in 2020. A man walked into the store reportedly carrying a knife.
When Moreno refused to give him a pack of cigarettes at no charge, the suspect went behind the counter and appeared to take one himself. Moreno said she guesses she grabbed the man’s arm and pushed him and he ran from the store. Police later caught him.
“Days after the incident, she was informed she was being let go for allegedly violating its ‘Don’t Chase or Confront Policy’ regarding criminal activity,” the outlet said regarding the company.
In July, a grocery store worker in Centennial, Colorado, was fired for filming three men stealing $500 worth of items from a King Soopers, according to Breitbart News.
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