TACOMA, Wash. — Marshon Jones, 15, and Montrell Hatfield, 16, are considered the prime suspects in a fatal shooting and robbery at a Tacoma marijuana store on March 19.
They are considered "armed and dangerous" according to the Tacoma Police Department.
The teens allegedly robbed World of Weed dispensary on the 3200 block of Portland Ave in Tacoma just after 10 p.m. on Saturday.
When officers arrived on scene, they reportedly found a male employee, later identified as 29-year-old Jordan Brown of Gig Harbor, with a gunshot wound. Police tried to give the man first aid but he died at the scene.
The teens were also arrested and charged in connection with a robbery at a pawn shop in Federal Way on Feb. 22. Both teens were charged with robbery in the first degree and unlawful possession of a firearm in the second degree.
The King County Prosecutor's Office requested the teens be held in juvenile detention, but they were released on electronic home monitoring by a judge, according to the prosecutor's office.
The incident at World of Weed was the third fatal shooting during a marijuana store robbery within one week. A suspect in a pot shop robbery in Bellevue and a suspect in a pot shop robbery in Covington were both killed earlier in the week.
Dozens of marijuana dispensaries have been robbed in western Washington over the last several months.
Pot shops are forced to operate mostly in cash due to federal banking regulations, making them an appealing target for robbers.
Private security firms have reported an increase in requests for armed guards to help stave off robberies.
On a federal level, state officials are lobbying congress to pass the Secured and Fair Enforcement Banking (SAFE) Act, which would allow banks to get into the pot business.