Ex-Starbucks employee says coffee chain fired him after fighting off robbers

A former Starbucks employee was terminated from his job at the coffee chain after he confronted robbers at his store.

In a press release, the Krupp Law Firm LLC alleged that Michael Harris was wrongly terminated after stopping a robbery at a St. Louis, Missouri Starbuck's location on Dec. 17.

The firm said that two gunmen entered the coffee shop and began robbing customers.

"I thought I was gonna die that day. … They walked in, announced that it was a robbery," Harris told NBC affiliate KSDK.

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The press release said that Harris complied with Starbucks' handbook rules, which recommend employees not to engage in robbery incidents at the stores. This includes not complying with demands from the thieves or doing anything that would escalate the situation, according to sources familiar with company protocols. 

"Harris complied with the robbers' demands until it was no longer an option for himself and others," says Ryan Krupp, who represents the former Starbucks worker.

When the two men demanded cash from the register, Harris said that he tried to comply with their demands but did not have the proper managerial clearance to gain access to the computer register.

Because he took too long, one of the thieves pistol-whipped him.

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One of Harris' co-workers noticed that portion of the weapon broke off, and he concluded that the gun was a fake.

"That’s when we noticed and started to fight back," Harris told the local station.

After a fight ensued, one of the men ran off and Harris and his co-worker, Devin Jones-Ransom, were able to restrain the other until police arrived, the station reported. 

But weeks after the incident, Harris said, he got a call saying he was being fired.

"Out of the blue, Michael and Devin were fired from the company without explanation as to what, if any policy was violated, or what they should have done differently about the situation," Krupp said in the press release.

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Krupp said that he believes that Harris' termination is party due to his "outspokenness" about the incident. 

"We suspect that this is partially due to Michael's outspokenness about the numerous complaints about safety issues and prior incidents at that store," Krupp said.

Krupp argued that Starbucks' termination policy is not fair.

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"There’s no way that an individual can be faced with danger, attempted potential death of themselves or another, and then once they’ve been hit or downed that they cannot defend themselves," attorney Ryan Krupp told NBC.

Starbucks, in a statement to FOX Business, addressed the incident. 

"We were deeply disturbed to learn of this frightening incident. Partner safety is at the core of how we operate in our stores, and we are so grateful that our partners and customers did not come to greater harm in this situation.  In situations like this, our training and protocols guide our partners to comply and de-escalate, not just for their safety but for the safety of all in the store."

Jones-Ransom did not respond Fox News Digital.

*This story was updated on 1-27-24 to include a statement from Starbucks.