TACOMA, Wash. — Five times in six weeks: that's how many times the owner of Craft Cannabis says his pot shop has been struck by brazen vandals. On Saturday, KING 5 reported that staff had found an “improvised explosive device" outside the store. Now, the store owner is offering a $10,000 reward for information about the suspects.
"I was like, 'Is this like 1920s New York City mob?'" said Craft Cannabis manager Rebekah Stahl. "You know what I mean? Like Molotov cocktails? What's going on here?"
In the hours after KING 5's original story aired, vandals struck again.
"You can see where they set it on fire," said Stahl.
Surveillance video shows a man and a woman dousing the store's outdoor banner in liquid at around 6 a.m. on Sunday. They proceed to light the fluid on fire, creating fast-burning flames. No arrests have been made.
"They were gone by the time the police got here," said Stahl. "It’s extremely frustrating.”
In Saturday's incident, which store owner James Bean believes features different suspects, the surveillance video also shows a Molotov cocktail being thrown at the store.
Just a month ago, a sign of theirs was stolen twice, advertising 35% off everything in the store.
"It's escalating, from just trying to tear it down, to now they're trying to set the building on fire. There was a bomb," said Stahl.
The situation has left the business owner with immense frustration. Where does he go from here? Bean told KING 5 that overnight security is costing more these days, and he cannot afford it. He said just a couple years ago, during the pandemic, he would have had to pay about $30 an hour to an overnight security guard. But now, in these times we’re in, he says that cost for him has just about tripled.
Meanwhile, the motive of these vandals remains unclear, and without an arrest, they are left to speculate.
“I think, yeah, they're just, they're just trying to deter our business," said Stahl.
Is this a case of budtender on budtender crime? The owner and staff believe so. They said they think the suspects are people in the Tacoma Cannabis industry; jealous ones, at that.
"Everyone says we have the best deals in Tacoma right now," said Stahl.
Bean added that nearby pot shops had recently called to complain about their 35% off banner, which has been up only for the last six weeks.
Bean said there are no other people who he believes would have a grudge against him for any reason.
“What I'm seeing is, you know, people are trying to intimidate us and bully us so they can control this market,” Bean told KING 5.
Tacoma police are investigating, and in the meantime, Bean is still offering a $10,000 reward for information that will help lead to a suspect's arrest.