RENTON, Wash. — Two coffee stands in Renton and SeaTac were robbed late Monday night, one of which was at gunpoint.
At 10:15 p.m., Renton police responded to a 911 call for an armed robbery at the BigFoot Java at 1408 Bronson Way. Three store employees told police that a blue Hyundai SUV pulled up to the north side of the drive-through window, and when the barista opened the window, a man with a gun walked up demanding money. The car’s driver also showed a gun and demanded money, according to Renton police.
The barista gave the suspects about $100 from the till.
The suspect who walked up to the window got in the car, which left westbound on Bronson Way North.
Renton Police Department Public Information Officer, Sandra Havlik said the baristas did everything right.
“We would encourage people not to have a singular employee working alone just for safety reasons. So I was glad to hear that they had multiple employees because that's what we would recommend," Havlik said.
If a worker must be alone at night, having a secure place to go, a panic button or a telephone available to call police is suggested.
“That would be traumatizing for anybody. So we hope we always encourage employers to work with them. Sometimes that trauma doesn't come for months later,” said Havlik.
At 10:45 p.m., the King County Sheriff’s Office responded to a robbery at another Bigfoot Java coffee stand in the 20600 block of Military Road South in SeaTac.
Shots were reportedly heard outside the business, according to the sheriff’s office.
In both robberies, the suspects were described as wearing masks.
The sheriff’s office said deputies found what they believed to be the car used in the SeaTac robbery - a Hyundai SUV - about 2 miles away in Des Moines. Deputies believe the car was stolen.
Police found a juvenile suspect in the SeaTac robbery after searching the area. The suspect was booked in the Youth Detention Center for investigation of robbery.
Police say they do not know if the two robberies are connected.
No injuries were reported during the SeaTac robbery.
The Owner of BigFoot Java, Jennifer Whitmore said in an emailed statement that she hates her employees had to experience the robberies.
When asked about safety protocols, she had this to say:
“As a company we do everything we can to deter this from happening. We have followed the suggestions from the local police departments along with Labor and Industries. We have strict money-handling policies that only allow for small amounts of cash to be onsite. We have drop safes that are only accessed by the Armored Truck company and do safety trainings with our employees about how to spot danger and how to respond to a criminal so that we don’t escalate the situation and can get them off the site quickly as possible. We are always exploring and training on new ways to deter criminals away from our employees as their safety comes first.”