PIERCE COUNTY, Wash. — There have been four armed robberies of cannabis shops in Pierce County in just one week, according to police.
Pierce County Sheriff's Sgt. Darren Moss said multiple factors lead investigators to believe the crimes could be connected. In each instance, the thieves used vehicles to ram down the front doors, the number of suspects was consistent and the suspects all used stolen vehicles.
"Similar incidents don't always mean the same suspects, but a lot of times it does," Moss said.
A similar robbery to the ones in Pierce County recently occurred at Green Lady Marijuana in Olympia.
Olympia Police said around 3:30 a.m., a vehicle crashed into the Green Lady cannabis shop in West Olympia. Several suspects immediately got out of the car and stole products from the store.
Store manager Bailey Beckett got the call from the alarm company and was stunned watching the surveillance footage.
“It made my skin crawl. It just made me feel dirty. People invade my business that I work at. It's like a home to me. It felt wrong,” Beckett said.
One robbery involved an exchange of gunfire between the suspects and an armed security guard.
According to police, around 2:30 a.m. on Oct. 28, three cars pulled up near the front of Zip's Cannabis in the 2600 block of Pacific Avenue, then one drove through the front doors.
The other suspects then ran into the store and started to throw merchandise in bags they brought to the scene.
The suspects exchanged gunfire with an armed security guard outside of the business. Police think one of the suspects was shot. The security guard was not injured.
According to security camera footage, there were at least six suspects involved in the crime.
Moss said cannabis shops already have some of the highest security out of any of the businesses in the region. Now, many are forced to put up concrete barriers outside in order to safely do business.
No arrests have been made in any of the cases so far.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.