Updated as of 1/29/24 at 9:45 a.m. ET
As 20-year-old Michael Harris is gearing up to take legal action against his former employer, he’s shared a bit more about his experience working at the Midtown St. Louis Starbucks location.
In short, this ain’t the first time some crazy ish went down at the Bucks.
Harrison told The New York Post the store has regularly seen aggressive patrons prior to the robbery he stopped last month. He said once a customer began firing heavy steel canisters at the employees from over the counter.
“People are always yelling and screaming at us, threatening to assault us. Throwing things, trying to come up to us - but nothing was ever done. People have left the job because of it,” he told The Post.
Eventually, he and his fellow coworkers filed a formal complaint to upper management about their safety concerns but it’s unclear if anything came of it. However, Starbucks denied the claim that the chaotic location’s safety conditions were never addressed, alleging the location was temporarily closed for safety improvements including providing the option for employees to only operate the drive-thru and close the main dining area, according to The Post.
The company maintained their stance that Harrison and the other employee who helped detain the robber should not have engaged so intensely with them.
“In situations like this, our training and protocols guide our partners to comply and de-escalate, not just for their safety but for the safety of all in the store,” a spokesperson told The Post.
What Happened?
Imagine this: you risk your life to save customers and your fellow employees from a robbery and after you save the day, you get fired. According to a lawsuit being filed by the former Starbucks employee, this is precisely what happened to him.
In December, one of the busiest seasons for Starbucks because of holiday drinks, Harris told KSDK he was working the drive-thru at the store’s Midtown St. Louis location. Suddenly, he noticed a white man and a Black man enter the store and begin frisking the customers.
The men approached the cash register and ordered him to open it. While Harris struggled with the register, one of the men hit him on the head with a gun.
Harris said he realized the gun was fake after the trigger fell off. At that moment, he decided it was time to get his lick back. Without knowing if there was another real gun in the mix but determined to keep everyone safe, he said that he and the other employees began to fight back.
They were able to restrain at least one of the alleged robbers until the cops showed up. However, after the incident, Harris was fired.
Read more from KSDK:
Weeks after the situation, Harris said he got a call.
“They terminated me,” he said. “They didn’t really give me a reason why I was terminated. They just told me I was, and I just had to accept it.”
Harris said he loved his job.
“I was hurt, especially because I tried to do my best for everybody else. I tried to be the best person I could to help everybody,” he said.
He and his attorneys want to know what policy he violated.
“They didn’t create the dangerous scenario. They 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,” Attorney Ryan Krupp said.
In response to the suit, Starbucks released a statement saying all partners are expected to follow their safety protocols, which include de-escalation, complying with demands and basically avoiding pissing off the culprit in question, the report says.
However, Harris’ suit alleges he was wrongfully terminated after doing what any other person would do in that situation.
“It’s a fundamental principal of the law of this nation and the law of this state that when faced with a life-or-death scenario, you are afforded the ability to defend yourself,” said Harris’ attorney, Robert Thomas Topping, via KSDK.