Two Missouri Starbucks employees joined forces with customers to batter a pair of would-be robbers only to find themselves gainfully unemployed. As a reward for their heroic efforts, the coffee giant fired them.
According to St. Louis police, 35-year-old Marqise Porter-Doyle and 37-year-old Joshua Noe attempted to pull an armed heist at the Starbucks location on December 17. They ordered everyone to the floor and demanded they hand over their valuables.
Only, those they were attempting to rob quickly discovered the pair were not actually armed. This revelation came when Noe allegedly hit a barista on the head with his “pistol.”
Starbucks has fired the two baristas who fought back against a pair of robbers trying to hold up a store in St. Louis
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) January 24, 2024
It shattered.
That was when the coffee servers and surrounding customers realized the two criminals were only armed with toy plastic handguns. The employees and their customers attacked Porter-Doyle and Noe and held Noe for responding officers.
Noe ended up with several cuts and marks as well as a bloodied face.
Two of the employees were Michael Harris and Devin Jones-Ransom. Harris’s attorney said he was struck in the face by one of the alleged robbers.
Ryan Krupp argued that “Harris complied with the robbers’ demands until it was no longer an option for himself and others. The attorney said his client realized he must fight back or risk losing his life.
Porter-Doyle was able to wrest free only to be captured and arrested later. The pair now, on top of their humiliation, face a total of 20 felony charges including robbery and attempted robbery.
Harris said in a statement that he simply wanted to “do the right thing as a person and an employee.” For that, he lost his job.
A Starbucks representative responded to inquiries about the firing of employees who many in St. Louis dubbed as heroes for their efforts.
The spokesperson said, “The safety and wellbeing of our partners (employees) and customers is always our first concern. All partners are expected to follow our carefully crafted protocols to ensure the safety of customers and partners during these situations.”
Krupp countered that the two “partners” were fired “without any explanation as to what, if any policy they violated, or what they should have done differently about the situation.”
